LINKING FLOOD CONTROL AND WATER QUALITY

Among the services and duties that West Lampeter Township performs as a municipal government is that of stormwater management. For the most part, the major job is to safely channel runoff from public roadways into the conveyance system—a network of inlets, roadside swales, and underground pipes. You may have seen the Township Public Works Department in your area keeping this infrastructure clear of obstructions and draining properly.

But there is a whole other dimension to the Township’s Stormwater Management Program that consists of six key elements. With the need to reduce the amount of pollution that our stormwater system contributes to surface waters like the Pequea and Mill Creeks, our Program is a direct requirement of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit that West Lampeter Township must comply with. We believe that a better-informed citizenry can be an asset to us as a whole in meeting the demands for pollutant reduction and water quality. 

The six elements are:

• Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Impacts

• Public Involvement / Participation

• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

• Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control

• Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New and Redevelopment Activities

• Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations

West Lampeter Township’s Public Works Department periodically inspects the storm sewer system’s pipe outfalls for Illicit Discharges as part of the Detection and Elimination element. We will be looking for dry-weather flows through the public system that may be containing pollutants such as chemicals, oil, solvents, cleaners, and other contaminants that are working their way through our pipes and swales to streams and creeks. Ultimately, the Township is responsible for any contamination—which impacts all local taxpayers—unless we find the source, eliminate it, and ensure that it ceases. As always, please refrain from dumping anything into the storm sewers, and if you see anything unusual let us know.