Town Manager Speaks Out Against Stormwater Mandate
The government has taken the idea of clean water and "driven it into the ground. A clear case of overkill," Plainville, Conn., Town Manager John Weichsel told the Meriden Record-Journal.
He believes that making local towns responsible for pollution that does not have a clear source is unnecessarily strict.
"We couldn't begin to do what those regulations are asking of us" with the resources the town currently has, he told the Meriden Record-Journal.
Town Councilor Art Secondo agreed. He said, like the mandated construction of a $7 million de-nitrification plant, this was clearly another unfunded mandate, the Meriden Record-Journal reported.
A slide presentation was given at the last Town Council meeting regarding the "best management practices" in managing storm water. The presentation said the town will be required to get a five-year storm water management permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection and needs to pursue a wide ranging program, the Meriden Record-Journal reported. Necessary improvements include
* Creating a storm water management plan to be approved by the DEP.
* having samples of storm water runoff analyzed with results submitted to the state.
* Conducting regular stream cleanups,
* Providing storm water management training to town employees,
* Issuing regular public service announcements on the problem and what residents can do to ease pollution,
* Hiring one full-time staff member to head the program, and
* Purchasing a street sweeper and vacuum truck since dirty streets contribute to storm water runoff.
Source: Meriden Record-Journal