Municipalities play an integral part in containing and reducing urban pollutants before they enter into our stormwater system. Towns on Cape Cod maintain a system of stormwater management facilities that include inlets, conduits, manholes, channels, ditches, drainage easements, infiltration facilities, and other components, as well as natural waterways.  The Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for municipal operations minimum control measure is an important element of the Stormwater Management Program on Cape Cod. Here we recognize the need to maintain a functional storm water drainage system to reduce long-term costs associated with inadequate maintenance and flooding.

Today, most towns on Cape Cod require Municipal small sewer system operators to examine and potentially alter their own actions to help ensure a reduction in two different categories of pollutants.  One category include pollutants that collect on streets, parking lots, open spaces, and storage and vehicle maintenance areas and are discharged into local waterways.  The second category of pollutants results from actions such as environmentally damaging land development, flood management practices, or poor maintenance of storm sewer systems.

This site provides all of the information you need on Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping and how to incorporate these practices into your municipality.  Use the links below to find additional information and resources

Key Municipal Housekeeping Issues:

1. Roadway and Bridge Maintenance
2. Septic System Controls
3. Road Salt Application and Storage
4. Storm Drain System Cleaning
5. Parking Lot and Street Cleaning
6. Exterior Vehicle Washing
7. Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan
8. Washing of Apparatus Floors
9. Vehicle and Equipment Fueling

To meet the requirements of this minimum control measure, the operator of a regulated  small MS4 will need to at a minimum:

Develop and implement an operation and maintenance program with the ultimate goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations into the storm sewer systems;

Include employee training on how to incorporate pollution prevention/good housekeeping techniques into municipal operations such as park and open space maintenance, fleet and building maintenance, new construction and land disturbances, and storm water system maintenance; 

Determine appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and measurable goals for this minimum control measure.

Recommendations for developing a successful pollution prevention/good housekeeping program:

• Maintenance activities and schedules, as well as long-term inspection procedures;

• Controls on discharge of pollutants from streets, salt/sand storage areas, and waste transfer stations;

• Procedures for disposing of waste from the MS4;

• Ways to ensure new flood management projects;

• Assess impacts to water quality.

Substantial amounts of sediment and pollutants are generated during daily roadway and bridge use and scheduled repair operations, and these pollutant loadings can threaten local water quality by contributing heavy metals, hydrocarbons, sediment, and debris to storm water runoff.   Numerous pathways for pollutant deposition on roadways and bridges influence the water quality of stormwater runoff.  Routine performance of general maintenance activities such as sweeping, vegetation maintenance, and cleaning of runoff control structures can help alleviate the impacts of these pollutants.  Modifications in roadway resurfacing practices and application techniques for salt and other deicers can also help reduce pollutant loads to stormwater runoff and protect the quality of receiving waters.

Roadway systems are a large part of the infrastructure of urban areas across the country, and require regular repairs and maintenance due to traffic use and climatic conditions.  The level of pollutants found in road and bridge runoff is variable and is determined by a number of factors in addition to traffic volume and climate.  Other factors affecting pollutant levels include surrounding land use, the design of the bridge or roadway, the presence of roadside vegetation, the use of insecticides, and the frequency of accidents and spills that can introduce hazardous chemicals.  In colder climates, the amount of deicer applied to melt ice and snow can also influence the level of certain pollutants in road runoff and its impacts on local water quality.

Septic systems are designed to treat wastewater by separating solids from liquids and then draining the liquid into the ground.  Sewage flows into the tank where settling and bacterial decomposition of larger particles takes place, while treated liquid filters into the soil.  When system failures occur, untreated wastewater and sewage can be introduced into ground water or nearby streams and water bodies.

Pollution prevention practices are designed to restrict pollutant and nutrient loads from improperly functioning septic systems from entering local water sources.  These loadings occur for a number of reasons, including improper siting, inadequate installation, or system operation failures.  Failures may also occur due to lapses in the regular inspection and maintenance that are required to ensure proper operation during the design life of the septic system.  Homeowners may be unaware of the age of their system and whether preemptive planning is necessary before the system fails.

The most effective way to control on-site wastewater problems is through a comprehensive management program.  An onsite wastewater management program can reduce water quality degradation and save local governments and homeowners time and money, as well as better tracking of the performance of routine maintenance practices.

Public outreach and training are vital elements in the control of septic system failure.  Many of the problems associated with improper septic system functioning may be attributed to a lack of homeowner knowledge of operation and maintenance of the system.  Educational materials for homeowners and training courses for installers and inspectors can reduce the incidence of failure.

Education is most effective when used in concert with other source reduction practices, such as phosphate bans and use of low-volume plumbing fixtures.  Simple messages that can be conveyed to homeowners to reduce system failures and ensure proper functioning include:

• Do not wait until septic system shows sign of failure.  Inspect the system annually and have it pumped-out at least once every 3 years

• Keep records of pumping and maintenance and a map of the location of your system and drainfield.

• Practice water conservation indoors and divert roof drains and surface water away from the system

• Use caution in disposing materials down the drain.  Household chemicals can kill the bacteria that make the system work and nondegradable materials (cigarette butts, etc) can clog the system.

• Keep heavy equipment and vehicles off your system and drainfield.

• Don’t cover your drainfield with impermeable surfaces that can block evaporation and the air needed for effluent treatment.

Salts, gravel, sand, and other materials are applied to highways and roads to reduce the amount of ice during winter storm events.  Salts lower the melting point of ice, allowing roadways to stay free of ice buildup during cold winters.  Sand and gravel increase traction on the road, making travel safer.

This practice is applicable to areas that receive snowfall in winter months and require deicing materials.  Municipalities in these areas must ensure proper storage and application for equipment and materials.

Many of the problems associated with contamination of local waterways stem from the improper storage of deicing materials.  Salts are very soluble when they come into contact with stormwater.  They can migrate into ground water used for public water supplies and also contaminate surface waters.

Storm drain systems need to be cleaned regularly.  Routine cleaning reduces the amount of pollutants, trash and debris both in the storm drain system and in receiving waters.  Clogged drains and storm drain inlets can cause the drains to overflow, leading to increased erosion.  Benefits of cleaning include increased dissolved oxygen, reduced levels of bacteria, and support of instream habitat.  Areas with relatively flat grades or low flows should be given special attention because they rarely achieve high enough flows to flush themselves.

This measure is applicable to all storm drain systems.  The same principles can be applied to material and waste handling areas, paved and vegetated areas, waterways, and new development projects.

Employing pavement cleaning practices such as street sweeping on a regular basis is essential in minimizing pollutant export to receiving waters.  These cleaning practices are designed to remove from road and parking lot surfaces sediment debris and other pollutants that are a potential source of pollution impacting urban waterways.  Although performance monitoring for the Nationwide Urban Runoff Program indicated that street sweeping was not very effective in reducing pollutant loads, recent improvements in street sweep technology have enhanced the ability of present day machines to pick up the fine grained sediment particles that carry a substantial portion of the storm water pollutant load.  Many of today’s street sweepers can now significantly reduce the amount of street dirt entering streams and rivers, some by significant amounts.

Seventy percent of cold climate storm water experts recommend street sweeping during the spring snowmelt as a pollution prevention measure.  The frequency and intensity of rainfall for a region are also key variables in determining how streets need to be swept to obtain a desired removal efficiency.  Other factors that affect a street sweeper’s ability to reduce nonpoint pollution include the condition of the street, its geographical location, the operator’s skill, the presence of parked cars, and the amount of impervious area devoted to rooftop.

When washing municipal vehicles such as moving vans, trucks, and tractors, the vehicle wash water can carry sediment and contaminants to surface waters, and can contaminate groundwater by infiltration or by drainage to subsurface wells and/or septic systems.  Vehicle wash water contains oil, grease, metal (paint chips), phosphates, detergents, soaps, cleaners, road salts, and other chemicals that can contaminate source water.

The following is a list of practices that those businesses with their own vehicle washing facilities can incorporate to control the water quality impacts of wash water discharges: 

Washing shop floors includes spraying water and detergent on floors, and discharging the washwater through a drain to a septic tank, POTW, or waterway. Some facilities may dump used washwater on the ground outside of the facility. Washing shop floors, likewashing vehicles, may be regulated under the pretreatment program or NPDES section of the Clean Water Act. These sections may require the facility to obtain permits, install oil and water separators, or comply with other provisions designed to prevent contaminated wastewater from reaching the environment.

Click here for a sample checklist for Washing of Apparatus Floors

Spills and leaks that occur during vehicle and equipment fueling can contribute hydrocarbons, oil and grease, as well as heavy metals to stormwater runoff.  Proper management practices can help prevent such spills and leaks that lead to stormwater contamination.  To reduce the potential for pollutant discharge, source control pollution prevention and employee training must be implemented.

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