Madison Township is a community member of the Lake County Stormwater Management Department

Lake County Stormwater Management Website: LCSMD

Lake County Stormwater Management Department's Recent News Articles:

Keep the waters of Lake Erie clean for everyone.  This information brought to you by the Lake County Stormwater Management Department in cooperation with the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.

Other Articles:

Fall Clean Up
Mowing Maintenance: Grass Clipping Tips for Residents
Where does rain water go?
April Showers Rain Barrel
Rake it or Leave it
Rain Garden
Fertilizer Use
Winter Pollution Prevention

From the LCSMD's website:

In 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a mandate pursuant to the Clean Water Act requiring urban areas to improve water quality.  Specifically, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations have imposed six minimum control measures which are targeted at improving our Nations water resources.

The six minimum control measures include:

1.       Public Education and Outreach

2.       Public Involvement and Participation

3.       Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

4.       Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control

5.       Post-Construction Stormwater Runoff Control

6.       Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

The federal mandate requires that local governments bear all costs associated with the new regulations, so Lake County instituted a stormwater user fee program.  The fees are charged on individual parcels of land based on the amount of impervious area on the property (hard surface).  The amount of impervious land is used because it has been shown to be a good indicator of the amount of runoff that leads to pollution.  All residential properties are charged a base rate based on an average impervious area of 3050 square feet.  Nonresidential properties are charged based upon the square footage they contain divided by the equivalent residential unit (ERU) which is 3,050 sq. ft.  For example, a commercial property with 30,500 sq. ft. of impervious surface would pay 10 times that of a residential property (30,500/3,050=10).

There are several organizations within Lake County that currently provide local communities with assistance on stormwater and illicit discharge issues.  Our Department has partnered with these organizations to combine our expertise and reduce costs to Lake County residents.  Aside from reducing costs this partnership strategy is essential to providing an effective approach to improved water quality for all communities.  Water resources and flows transcend local political boundaries.  Therefore, only through mutual cooperation and coordination can an urban area obtain their water quality objectives.

The Lake County Stormwater Management Department (LCSMD) received the 2005 Lake County Environement Improvement Award from the Ohio State University Extension. The LCSMD has also been nominated for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2005 Clean Water Act Recognition Award.