PORT ANGELES — Are new stormwater regulations simply flushing money down the drain?
That was the question on several people’s minds Wednesday at the city’s first public presentation outside of a City Council meeting on new rules that the council is mandated to adopt by Aug. 15 — and which the council may adopt as soon as its next meeting Tuesday, with some coming regulations coming into effect immediately.
The second and last scheduled presentation will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. today in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
Tuesday’s presentation was attended by about 25 people, whose questions kept the meeting going half-an-hour longer than planned.
The new, more strict federally mandated regulations address not only land use and development, but also how city residents wash their cars, drain their pools and spas, dispose of dog droppings, and dispose of paint chips when painting their homes.
“I would like the city to find a way out of this,” city resident Rex Springer said.
“I expect our politically elected bodies to do what they can to get us out from underneath this thing. This is silly.”
Residents will be in violation of the new rules — which may be adopted as early as the next City Council meeting Tuesday — if they allow any soaps, suds, chlorine, dog feces or paint chips to be washed into the city’s stormwater system or streams.
City engineer and stormwater manager Terri Partch said the regulations affecting activities such as car washing will go into effect as soon as the City Council adopts the ordinance, which it must do by the Aug. 15 deadline.
Because of their complexity, Partch said the city will likely wait until a Nov. 16 deadline to enforce the new regulations that govern land use and development.
Partch said the city expects to issue fines — which could range from $100-$1,000 — or shut off water to the location only if the violations become egregious.
Education will be its focus and enforcement of such violations will likely be complaint-driven, she said.
In response to Springer’s comments, city Public Works and Utilities Director Glenn Cutler said, “Realistically we’ve got a permit . . . we are not going to get out from underneath it.”
Cutler was referring to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Phase II permit, which allows the city to discharge storm water into state waters under certain restrictions.
Federal regulations
As a Phase II city, Port Angeles is required to implement these new regulations, enforced by the state Department of Ecology, under the federal Clean Water Act by Nov. 16.
Port Angeles qualifies for a phase II designation because it has a population density of 1,000 people per square mile and more than 10,000 residents.
The city received the designation in December 2006. It is the only Phase II city on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Cutler said the city did challenge some of the new regulations several years ago and will do the same with any other proposed rules that it thinks aren’t appropriate for it.
Under the new regulations, charity car washes must receive a stormwater permit, likely with no fee, to ensure that their activities are in compliance, Partch said.
Commercial and industrial car washes drain directly into the sewer system, which goes to the wastewater treatment plant, so they are in compliance with the regulations.
Some stormwater drains in the city also are connected to the sewer system, Partch said, so its OK to wash your car near those drains.
Car wash kits
She said the city may purchase car wash kits that catch the water, which it could lease to residents.
Partch said detergents marketed as “non-toxic” or “biodegradable” are still deadly for fish and other sea life, and therefore, are not allowed to be washed into the stormwater system.
Residents can avoid violating the regulations by washing their cars on permeable surfaces, such as grass, or ensure that the water doesn’t drain into the city’s stormwater system.
Partch said that city staff members have not determined what the new stormwater permit fees will be.
That depends upon having enough money in the stormwater budget to cover the costs of compliance, she said.
Cutler said those costs are unknown at this time.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
