News Release
July 25, 2007
The Butler County Storm Water District is beginning an annual program to conduct testing of dry weather flows from outfalls of the county storm drain system. An outfall is any flowing or non-flowing closed pipe or open drainage channel twelve inches in diameter or greater that discharges into a stream. Dry weather screening will consist of sensory observations for color and odor as well as chemical testing for common pollutants such as ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, potassium, and metals.
Information gathered from outfall locations and dry weather flow pollutant levels will allow the Storm Water District to detect, locate, and eliminate illicit discharges from the Butler County storm drain system.
The District has entered into an agreement with the Miami University Institute for Environmental Quality to conduct the project, which will consist of crews walking local streams to note the location of illicit connections and to conduct water quality sampling.
Field work will be conducted in the following areas:
- West Chester Township
- Liberty Township
- Fairfield Township
- Lemon Township
- Madison Township
- St. Clair Township
- Hanover Township
- Ross Township
- Village of Millville
- Village of New Miami
- Village of Seven Mile
- City of Trenton
Miami University field crews may require access to private property to conduct their surveys. All field personnel will carry proper identification. Section 5517.01 and 163.03 of the Ohio Revised Code authorizes such entries but also requires that reimbursement be made for any actual damage resulting from such work. The field crews have received strict instructions concerning the preservation of private property and public lands. In all cases, removal of vegetation as well as other damage will be held to a minimum. If at any time property owners feel that Storm Water representatives have not given proper attention to private property, please notify the Butler County Storm Water District at the following address:
Bob Lentz, Storm Water Coordinator
Butler County Storm Water District
1921 Fairgrove Avenue
Hamilton, Ohio 45011-1965
Phone: 513-785-4101
Email: lentzb@stormwaterdistrict.org
Miami University work crews may not be able to provide specific answers to potential questions. They will simply be collecting data required for the completion of the storm drain outfall map. Questions about the project should be directed to Storm Water Coordinator Bob Lentz at the address and phone number listed above.Storm Water District Mission and Dry Weather Screening
The primary mission of the Butler County Storm Water District is to safeguard public health and protect the environment through the implementation of the U.S. EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase II Program. Mandated by Congress under the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a national program for addressing sources of storm water discharges which adversely affect the quality of our nation’s waters.
The program requires the implementation of six minimum control measures designed to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed by storm water runoff into local water bodies:
- Public Education and Outreach
- Public Involvement
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Construction Site Run-off Controls
- Post-Construction Run-off Controls
- Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping
Dry weather screening of storm drain outfalls is part of the third control measure — Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination. The screening project is a critical part of Butler County’s efforts to reduce the discharge of pollutants from its storm drain system.
