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"We will foster the success of our clients and staff by providing quality professional services in an ethical and collaborative environment. We will strive to deliver our services with professionalism, integrity, dedication and vision for the benefit of our clients, the public and our company."
~Bruce Shrake
President
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National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase II - 6 Minimum Control Measures
Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is nearing completion of a two-year effort to develop and implement a Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance in order to establish uniform minimum stormwater controls for development throughout the County. GHA municipal and stormwater engineering staff have been involved in the process from the beginning, participating in meetings of several of the Watershed Planning Councils and serving on the Technical Advisory Committee. More information regarding the Ordinance is available at the District's website.
Lake County Community Recertification Underway - Deadline March 12, 2010
The re-certification period begins in January 2010. At that time, SMC will be requesting the required information listed below in order to evaluate and process each community’s re-certification request. The re-certification procedures were updated in 2008, and include a "self-audit" procedure that will allow SMC staff to evaluate re-certification requests consistently between communities. It will also make the qualifications of a community requesting re-certification more clear to the Commission.
Community Certification Document
Community Certification Document
Lake County Designated Erosion Control Inspector Program - Winter Inspections
Soil erosion and sediment control responsibilities do not end when the first snow hits. The winter is typically a difficult time to keep SE/SC under control. The constant freezing and thawing of the soil, added to the mix of snow and rain, invariably results in challenging situations on construction sites.
See Document
See Document
GHA featured article in the ILCMA October Newsletter (pages 6 & 7)
"It's Not Just Another Un-Funded Mandate." NPDES Phase II:
What Does a Manager Need to Know?
See the Newsletter
See the Newsletter
Best Management Practices
Non-point source pollution is one of the leading factors contributing to a decline in water quality, nationwide. Impervious surfaces, such as roads, driveways, and rooftops, create stormwater runoff that erodes streambanks and pollutes waterways. As stormwater travels over these surfaces, it picks up pollutants such as lawn chemicals, oil, grease, and road salts, depositing these contaminants into our streams and rivers. The Village of Bannockburn implemented a variety of Best Management Practices to improve water quality, and reduce the volume and rate of stormwater discharging off their Village Hall property. This project helps minimize non-point pollution by reducing the amount of runoff into area streams, filtering out pollutants, and recharging groundwater supplies. The Village of Bannockburn is leading by example, encouraging residents to keep their stormwater on their property to help their fellow residents, and to be sensitive to the environment.
Are You In Compliance?
Storm water runoff pollution is a leading cause of degraded water quality. This type of pollution is caused by rainfall and snowmelt moving across and through the ground picking up pollutants along the way and depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands and our underground source of drinking water. Runoff can include such pollutants as sediments, pathogens, fertilizers/nutrients, hydrocarbons, metals, household chemicals that are improperly disposed of, automobile fluids, and road deicing/anti-icing chemicals.
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) Program was initiated as part of the 1987 amendments to the federal Clean Water Act to address pollution associated with storm water runoff. The NPDES Program required implementation of on-site erosion and sediment controls necessary to minimize discharge of pollutants from storm water runoff, regulates storm water discharges into Waters of the United States, and sets limitations for off-site discharges of sediment and other pollutants.
The program was introduced in two phases. Phase I of the NPDES Storm Water Program began in 1990 and applied to large and medium Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) and 11 industrial categories including construction sites disturbing five acres of land or more. Phase II of the NPDES Storm Water Program began in March 2003 and applies to all other MS4s and construction sites disturbing one acre or more. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is charged with implementing both phases of the NPDES Storm Water Program in Illinois.
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) Program was initiated as part of the 1987 amendments to the federal Clean Water Act to address pollution associated with storm water runoff. The NPDES Program required implementation of on-site erosion and sediment controls necessary to minimize discharge of pollutants from storm water runoff, regulates storm water discharges into Waters of the United States, and sets limitations for off-site discharges of sediment and other pollutants.
The program was introduced in two phases. Phase I of the NPDES Storm Water Program began in 1990 and applied to large and medium Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) and 11 industrial categories including construction sites disturbing five acres of land or more. Phase II of the NPDES Storm Water Program began in March 2003 and applies to all other MS4s and construction sites disturbing one acre or more. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is charged with implementing both phases of the NPDES Storm Water Program in Illinois.
Construction Sites
Phase II of the storm water program requires all construction activities disturbing one acre or more to obtain an NPDES permit, prepare a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), submit a Notice of Intent (NOI), perform inspections and submit a Notice of Termination (NOT).
The SWPPP should be developed prior to the start of construction and must be present on the project site and accessible to everyone during construction activities. Best Management Practices (BMPs) must be implemented according to the SWPPP. All sites are subject to inspection by government officials.
An SWPPP Must Include the Following: Site description identifying potential sources of pollution that may affect the quality of storm water discharges.
Appropriate best management practices (BMPs), including erosion, sediment, and storm water management controls to minimize the discharge of pollutants from the site.
Description of steps taken to prevent and control pollutants in storm water discharge from the site, including inspection of all disturbed, unstabilized areas and maintenance of all controls to ensure their effective operation.
A Notice of Termination (NOT) must be submitted to IEPA when land disturbing activities are complete and the site has been finally stabilized or when the permittee is no longer an operator of the site. The EPA considers a site has finally stabilized when all land-disturbing activities are complete and a uniform perennial vegetative cover with a density of 70 percent of the cover for unpaved areas and areas not covered by permanent structures has been established or equivalent permanent stabilization measures have been used.
The SWPPP should be developed prior to the start of construction and must be present on the project site and accessible to everyone during construction activities. Best Management Practices (BMPs) must be implemented according to the SWPPP. All sites are subject to inspection by government officials.
An SWPPP Must Include the Following:
A Notice of Termination (NOT) must be submitted to IEPA when land disturbing activities are complete and the site has been finally stabilized or when the permittee is no longer an operator of the site. The EPA considers a site has finally stabilized when all land-disturbing activities are complete and a uniform perennial vegetative cover with a density of 70 percent of the cover for unpaved areas and areas not covered by permanent structures has been established or equivalent permanent stabilization measures have been used.
