Post-Construction Storm Water Runoff Permits

The City of St. Joseph MS4 NPDES permit requires the implementation of a Storm Water Management Program (SWMP).  One of the six components of the SWMP is a Post-Construction Storm Water Runoff Program.  The Post-Construction Storm Water Runoff Program requires the City, as the permittee, to implement and enforce best management practices to meet water quality treatment and channel protection performance standards from new developments.  The City of St. Joseph’s current MS4 NPDES Permit includes Design Standards & Guidelines for Storm Water Best Management Practices (Guidelines) developed by the Spicer Group (Spicer) with City staff input.  A permit application, checklist, and forms to guide Developers and their project teams through the process are included in the Guidelines.

Instructions to meet the required standards, which are typically performed by professionals who regularly practice in the areas of hydrology and hydraulics related to storm water runoff and best management practices, are also included in the Guidelines.  To provide prompt, cost-effective turnarounds of plan reviews, inspections, and verification of the installation of storm water control measures, the City currently outsources these services to the Spicer Group.

A description of the review options follows.

Preliminary Review - $1,000 deposit

• Review of permit application, checklist, and plans to confirm if the provided information would be considered a complete application.
• Provide a letter detailing any items needed to have a complete application for a full stormwater review
• One meeting/phone call with developer to answer any questions on stormwater standards or calculations

This does not include time for review of any calculations or detailed review of plans. The intent of the review is to allow for a smoother process for the full review and answer any questions the developer may have during their design process.

Full Stormwater Review - $3,000 deposit

• Review of permit application, checklist, calculations, and plans for compliance with the City’s stormwater design standards.
• Provide a letter detailing any items that need to be corrected/ addressed prior to approval
• Coordination directly with design engineer on any questions regarding the review
• Review one additional submittal from design engineer after providing initial comments
• Provide a letter to the City for approval and provide a copy of the approved plans and application

These assumptions are for standards sites (does not account for large developments) and does not include time for excessive reviews/additional reviews if all items are not properly addressed after the first review. 

Links to the guidelines, storm water calculation spreadsheet, and escrow deposit form are provided in the links below.

Please contact City Engineer Tim Zebell or Assistant City Engineer Alex Austin if you have questions on the process.