On July 21, 2014, The Village Board discussed possible ordinance changes to alleviate the cumulative effects of increased impervious surfaces due to residential teardowns. During that meeting the Village Board directed Staff to consider amending the Village’s stormwater and floodplain ordinance and develop programs to mitigate potential stormwater issues via new development, and to propose programs to collectively mitigate existing stormwater issues. The resulting code amendment and cost share program outlined below are designed to meet that initiative.

Code Amendment - PCBMP Storage

The Village Board adopted Ordinance  04-11-37 (PDF) and 15-09-49 (PDF) amending the County’s stormwater Post Construction Best Management Practices (PCBMP) requirements to do the following:

• Reduce the current threshold for requiring PCBMP storage for new impervious area from 2,500 square feet to 300 square feet. This reduced threshold would allow property owners to make minor additions (i.e. patios, driveway expansions, accessory structures, covered front porches, etc.) without requiring the expense of engineering services and stormwater storage.  Larger projects (i.e. detached garages, sport courts, room additions and new homes) would be required engineering services to determine the needed PCBMP storage required based on increased impervious surface.
• Establish other means for providing PCBMP storage through the installation of rain gardens, rainwater harvesting systems, underground storage systems, and/or other design approved by the Village Engineer.  A pump may be installed if the Village Engineer determines the on-site soil conditions are not suitable for infiltration.
• Establish a biannual (every 2 years) inspection program by the Village Engineer at the expense of the property owner.

These new PCBMP storage standards became effective May 1, 2015. Examples of how a project can meet these standards is provided below. Please contact the Community Development Department for more information.