Village of New Hartford Stormwater Program
Illicit Discharge Reporting Hotline
EMERGENCY OR ILLICIT DISCHARGE REPORTING INFORMATION
If the discharge poses an immediate threat to human health or the environment, immediately contact the New Hartford Central Dispatch Office at 315-733-6666 or 911.
When reporting be prepared to provide:
- Location
- Date and Time
- Description
- Photos
Stormwater Hotline Reporting Form
NON EMERGENCY ILLICIT DISCHARGE CONTACT REPORTING INFORMATION
This Stormwater Hotline is provided for the public to call and report stormwater quality problems. All calls are confidential and callers will remain anonymous. Please contact the Village to report any of the following.
- Actual or suspected illegal discharges to the storm sewer system
- Foal smells in the drainage system or waterway
- Unusual colors or cloudiness in a waterway
- Spills
- Trash or debris in a drainage system
- A leaking automobile
- Wash water being dumped on the street
- Paint in a creek
MS4 Stormwater Public Contact/ Coordinator
Letter to Village Residents and Businesses
Dear business owners, property owners, and facility managers,
The Village of New Hartford is implementing the components of our Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) as mandated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The SWMP is required in our community because the Village is considered a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Operator (MS4). The MS4 regulations require our Village to ensure that the discharge from our stormwater system into the waters of the State of New York meet water quality standards and doesn’t contribute to, or cause, a water quality violation.
Stormwater runoff from your facility which is located within the Village may be directly connected via a privately owned collection system on your property or gravity drain from your property into the Village’s stormwater system.
The Village is required to inform businesses of the following best management examples that, if followed, will ensure the stormwater runoff from your property or business will protect and improve water quality and will prevent an illicit discharge violation. The Village is also required to perform inspections on commercial properties to detect and prevent illicit discharges into the Village stormwater system.
Examples of best management practices your business is required to follow:
- Develop a “Spill Response Plan” and train your employees on the proper procedures to follow in the event you have an accidental spill or discharge.
- Post emergency phone numbers and report spills to the Fire Department at 733-6666 and the DEC Hazardous Spill Reporting Hotline at 1-800-457-7362.
- Verify that interior floor drains are connected to the sanitary sewer system, not the storm drain system.
- Wash and degrease your vehicles at a proper facility that disposes waste water to a sanitary sewer.
- Never wash spilled chemicals, trash, or grease into a parking lot or into a storm drain inlet.
- Keep trash areas clean and the lids on dumpsters and garbage containers closed.
- Clean litter and debris from sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots, especially around storm drains. Dirt, oil, and debris that collect in these areas can be washed into the storm sewer and eventually will enter the Sauquoit Creek.
- Lawn care fertilizers and pesticides applied to your landscape can ultimately run off into the stormwater system. Don’t apply before a heavy rain and follow label instructions carefully to prevent over-application.
- Make sure landscaping wastes such as grass clippings and leaves are not deposited in the roadway as this debris can plug storm drains and cause localized flooding as well as environmental concerns and violations.
Thank you for helping keep the stormwater runoff from the Village free from pollutants
Should you need further information regarding stormwater regulations or wish to send a representative from your business to a stormwater training meeting, please contact the Public Works Garage at 315-724-0379 and the Village will sponsor a training session.
You may also visit the Village website at www.villageofnewhartford.com and click on the stormwater link.
Sincerely,
Tom Hughes
Superintendent of Public Works
Stormwater is water from rain, melting snow or any activity that allows water to flow untreated into the waters of the State of New York. Stormwater runoff collects and transports pollutants to surface waters. Pollutants then degrade the quality of drinking water, damages fisheries and plant and animal habitats, Pollutants also affect recreational water bodies making them unsafe for swimming, boating and fishing.
Examples of Pollutants of Concern in Stormwater
Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
Bacteria from animal waste and illicit connections to sewerage systems.
Oil and grease from spills occurring during outside vehicle maintenance operations, and the improper storage of fats, oil, and grease (FOG) from commercial and industrial establishments.
Sediment runoff from construction site activities.
Careless applications of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
Trash and Debris that migrates by stormwater runoff.
Chlorinated pool backwash and draining activities.
What You Can Do To Reduce Stormwater Pollution
Stormwater management in urban areas like the Village of New Hartford is a necessary step in seeking reductions in pollution in our waterways.
The best way to control contamination to stormwater is at the source, where the contamination can be identified, reduced or contained before being conveyed to surface water.
Significant improvements can be made by employing best management practices.(BMP) proper storage and disposal of chemicals, good housekeeping, and paying attention to what’s happening during runoff events. This can led to relatively inexpensive ways of preventing pollutants from getting into the runoff and our waterways.
In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amended the Clean Water Act to address water pollution created from stormwater.
Phase II of these Stormwater regulations require operators of small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) located in urbanized areas with a population less than 100,000 and construction activities disturbing between one and five acres to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for their stormwater discharges.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation administers the Federal NPDES permit thru a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) general permit that authorizes the discharge of stormwater from MS4’s into water bodies of the State of New York.
The Village of New Hartford is considered an MS4 and is required to comply with the Phase II regulations.
The Village has created a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) that documents how the Village will manage the requirements contained within the SPEDES general permit. The SWMP is designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the Village stormwater drainage system to the Maximum Extent Practicable (MEP) to protect water quality.
The Village SWMP has selected stormwater management controls and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address each of the six minimum control measures and activities to achieve SPDES general permit compliance.
These required minimum control measures are defined in PART VI Traditional land use controls of the general permit for stormwater discharges and also within the Village Stormwater Management Plan:
MCM 1. Public Education and Outreach Program.
The Village has developed and implements an education and outreach program to increase public awareness of pollutant generating activities and behaviors.
MCM 2. Public Involvement and Participation.
The Village provides opportunities to involve the public in the development of the Stormwater Management Plan.
MCM 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination.
The Village developed, implements and enforces a program which detects, tracks down, and eliminates illicit discharges to the village stormwater conveyance system.
MCM 4. Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control.
The Village has developed an enforcement program to ensure construction sites will be effectively controlled to prevent pollutants from construction site activities.
MCM 5. Post Construction Stormwater Management.
The Village has developed an enforcement program to ensure proper operation and maintenance of post construction Stormwater Management Practice (SMP).
MCM 6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal.
The Village has developed a pollution prevention and good house keeping program for municipal operations
The Village of New Hartford has an approximate population of 1,870 residents,
Approximately 700 homes and 35 businesses located within one square mile.
The Village has separate sanitary and stormwater sewer systems
Sanitary sewage is treated by the Oneida County Water Pollution and Water Quality Department
The Village stormwater drains into the Sauquoit creek directly thru a piping conveyance system and indirectly by sheet runoff.
The Sauquoit creek is not listed on the DEC 303(D) revised list.
See Stormwater Management Plan
STORMWATER REGULATIONS FOR VILLAGE OF NEW HARTFORD RESIDENTS, CONTRACTORS AND BUSINESS OWNERS REGARDING REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES.
This information pertains to those who are planning a project that will disturb at least one acre of land during construction for any activity that causes soil to be moved from one place to another such as shaping, grading, landscaping, cutting, filling, clearing, or grubbing. If you do, you will need to obtain coverage under the Department of Environmental Conservation’s General Permit for Construction Activities, called
GP-0-24-001.
To obtain coverage under GP-0-24-001: you’ll need to develop at a minimum a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that contains an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and send the SWPPP and a Notice of Intent to the Department of Environmental Conservation for review. The DEC review period will take either five or sixty days depending on the type of SWPPP. You will also need to submit a duplicate copy of this information to the Village of New Hartford’s Village Clerk at 48 Genesee Street. To find out more about the GP- 0-24-001 contact the DEC at (315) 793-2554. Also, check out the DEC’s stormwater page on their website (http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dow/mainpage.htm) This site includes the Permit, the Notice of Intent form, and a list of frequently asked questions about the permit.
A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is a comprehensive plan that includes a list and location of erosion and sediment runoff control practices and structures and also identifies all potential sources of pollution which may reasonably be expected to affect the quality of storm water discharges from the construction site. The SWPPP is typicly created by the owner of the property or the operator of a construction site but depending on the project may need to be completed by a licensed professional disturbance of one acre or less that is not in an environmentally sensitive area will not require a stormwater Notice of Intent but will need to comply with Erosion and Sediment Control practices.
If your disturbing more than one acre but less than five acres for a single family residence or residential subdivision, you’ll only need to develop and submit a basic SWPPP that contains an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and a Notice of Intent.
If your disturbing more than one acre to construct anything other than a single family residence or a residential subdivision that is over one acre but less than five acres, you will need to develop and submit a full SWPPP and a Notice of Intent.
Notwithstanding other requirements of law, the information detailed above pertains only to Stormwater Management and Erosion and Sediment Control issues and does not affect any other Federal, State or Local requirement.
Call before you dig, it’s the law UDig NY at 811.
- Stormwater General Permit Notice of Intent 2003
- Stormwater General Permit Notice of Intent 2024
- Stormwater Annual Report Online Comment Form
