TABA Needs Your Input on Storm Water

In a follow up to the November 8th storm water stakeholders meeting (refer to cover article) that was detailed in our January 07 cover article, the TABA Government Affairs Committee met with City Engineer Michael Newman and Curtis Beitel, who is a professional engineer and consultant with Carter – Burgess.  Carter – Burgess is the consultant that is charged with helping the City develop a Municipal Storm Water Program (MS4).

The focus of our follow-up meeting was on the impact of MS4 to the local home building industry.  Construction and post-construction control measures were among the focal points of the discussion.

The City is obligated to meet several construction and post construction control measures and TABA has been invited to help the City determine what those criteria are going to be.  I have notebooks that detail the MS4 program and TABA members are welcome to come by the office and pick one up.

Construction control measures that the City must implement will include regulatory mechanisms that will ensure compliance to the following:

  • Implement appropriate erosion and sedimentation control best management practices.
  • Control waste (litter) and sanitary waste at the construction site.

Additionally the City must prepare to:

  • Review site plans with consideration for potential water quality impact;
  • Receive and consider public complaints;
  • Inspect and enforce control measures.

Post construction control measures must include:

  • Development and implementation of strategies which include a combination of structural and non-structural best management practices;
  • Create ordinances to address post-construction runoff;
  • Ensure adequate and long term operation and maintenance of selected best management practices.

TABA is going to be at the forefront of this project and will work to make sure that the selected best management practices are as acceptable as possible to our local building industry.

In doing so, we will be involved throughout the process which will take as long as five years before the program has been completely implemented.  The process should officially commence in the summer of 2007, once TCEQ has finalized the State’s position.  In the meantime TABA will begin researching best management practices from other states through our national builder contacts.

Our goal is to find common sense, low-cost solutions to make this program as workable as possible.

TABA has already agreed to partner with the City in advancing this program—it is imperative that we hear from our members to guide us in our efforts.

City Engineer Mike Newman stated that because we are a noted “pro-development” community and we are a very accessible community that is located along I35, it is very likely that we will be more susceptible to future inspections than some other communities.

This makes it even more important that we work closely with the City in the development of the MS4 program to make sure our interests are protected as much as possible.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

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