Clean Water  -  Lake County's Lifeline

Lake County Stormwater Management Department  

This page contains some background on the reason for creating a Stormwater Department for Lake County.  For more detailed information, please use the following linked topics.

• Member communities

• Credit program

• User Fee adjustments

• Staff

• Advisory board

In 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a mandate pursuant to the Clean Water Act requiring urban areas to improve water quality.  Specifically, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations have imposed six minimum control measures which are targeted at improving our Nations water resources.

The six minimum control measures include:

1.       Public Education and Outreach

2.       Public Involvement and Participation

3.       Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

4.       Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control

5.       Post-Construction Stormwater Runoff Control

6.       Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

The federal mandate requires that local governments bear all costs associated with the new regulations, so Lake County instituted a stormwater user fee program.  The fees are charged on individual parcels of land based on the amount of impervious area on the property (hard surface).  The amount of impervious land is used because it has been shown to be a good indicator of the amount of runoff that leads to pollution.  All residential properties are charged a base rate based on an average impervious area of 3050 square feet.  Nonresidential properties are charged based upon the square footage they contain divided by the equivalent residential unit (ERU) which is 3,050 sq. ft.  For example, a commercial property with 30,500 sq. ft. of impervious surface would pay 10 times that of a residential property (30,500/3,050=10).

There are several organizations within Lake County that currently provide local communities with assistance on stormwater and illicit discharge issues.  Our Department has partnered with these organizations to combine our expertise and reduce costs to Lake County residents.  Aside from reducing costs this partnership strategy is essential to providing an effective approach to improved water quality for all communities.  Water resources and flows transcend local political boundaries.  Therefore, only through mutual cooperation and coordination can an urban area obtain their water quality objectives.

Our partner organizations include:

·          Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.

·          Grand River Watershed Partners

·          Lake County General Health District

·          Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District

·          Ohio State University Extension

We will be providing liaison and reporting services for all our member communities.  We will be responsible for creating the annual report required for our NPDES permit compliance as well as act as the intermediary for any issues with the Ohio EPA.

In the coming months we will be formalizing our relationships with our member communities by drafting Memorandums of Understanding with each of them.  We will be creating resolutions and ordinances for our communities and the County Commissioners to pass facilitating our compliance with the NPDES Phase II regulations.  We will also be drafting rules and regulations for the Stormwater Management Department.  At the same time we will be actively working on programs to ensure the County meets the requirements of the federal mandate.

The Lake County Stormwater Management Department has been recognized for its success in helping to improve water quality and protect our environment.  The LCSMD received the 2005 Lake County Environmental Improvement Award from the Ohio State University Extension.  According to County Extension Director, Randall H. Zondag, the LCSMD was honored for its "initiative and accomplishments in the field of conservation."

The LCSMD has also been nominated for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2005 Clean Water Act Recognition Award.