14.25.020 Purpose.
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A. The purpose of this chapter is to prevent harm to the health or safety of the public, and to promote the public health, safety and general welfare by providing standards in stormwater runoff in order to:
1. Prevent surface and groundwater quality degradation and prevent erosion and sedimentation of creeks, streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands, and other water bodies;
2. Prevent damage to property from increased runoff rates and volumes;
3. Protect the quality of waters for drinking water supply, contact recreation, fishing and other beneficial uses;
4. Establish sound developmental policies which protect and preserve the City’s water resources;
5. Protect the roads and rights-of-way from damage due to inadequately controlled runoff and erosion;
6. Preserve and enhance the aesthetic quality of water resources;
7. Protect the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the City;
8. Maintain existing groundwater levels, in-stream flows, and available water supply volumes; and
9. Further the goals of no net change in the quantity of runoff entering streams and no net negative change in the quality of runoff entering streams through the implementation of best management practices.
B. It is the purpose of the 2016 amendments to this chapter to adopt ordinances and other enforceable mechanisms required for compliance with the City of Vancouver’s Stormwater Permit, and for compliance with the federal Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, through application of best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater management. The regulatory basis requiring the 2016 amendments is as follows:
1. To meet requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act, the State of Washington Department of Ecology has been given the authority to issue municipal stormwater permits to designated communities throughout the state that discharge stormwater into surface water bodies. The Washington State Department of Ecology issued the City of Vancouver a Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The permit requires that the City of Vancouver adopt low impact development principles and best management practices, stormwater control and pollution prevention measures, with the goal of improving waters of the state.
2. The Underground Injection Control (UIC) program was created by Congress to protect underground sources of drinking water from discharges of fluids to the ground. Chapter 173-218 WAC was adopted by the Washington State Department of Ecology to regulate stormwater discharges to groundwater through drywells and other types of underground infiltration systems that are not regulated under the NPDES permit. (Ord. M-4179 § 33, 2016; Ord. M-3920 § 3, 2009)