Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Issues
Storm Water Permit
Under a National Permit issued by Ohio EPA, the City of Toledo must control discharges to and from its storm sewer system. The City's responsibilities in meeting the permit include:
- Control of runoff from construction sites;
- Inspection of industrial facilities for proper material storage;
- Use of Best Management Practices to control pollution from all new development and redevelopment;
- Use of effective practices during street cleaning and maintenance operations, and spreading of deicing chemicals;
- Location of any cross-connections between sanitary and storm sewers;
- Education of public on proper disposal of household wastes, the detrimental impacts of littering, the efficient use of lawn chemicals, and how to report observed illegal dumping, spills, or littering; and
- Monitoring of storm sewers at specified locations during wet and dry weather.
Permits To Install
All additions or extensions to City water or sanitary sewer lines require the approval of the Ohio EPA prior to installation. This is a process to ensure that all such installations are in conformance with current federal and state regulations.
Anti-degradation Policy
EPA policy now requires that any new sanitary flows added to a combined sewer system, or to a sanitary sewer system, that has the potential for overflowing or bypassing to an area stream, shall have the volume of existing inflow, equal to twice that of the new sanitary flow, removed from the sewer system. The purpose of this policy is to reduce the pollution associated with wet weather overflows or treatment plant bypasses.
Funding Opportunities
The Ohio EPA currently administers a federal loan program called the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund to assist communities in the construction of the many environmental projects that are being required under the Clean Water Act. These projects include elimination of sanitary sewer overflows, reduction of combined sewer overflows and reduction of bypasses at wastewater treatment plants. A similar loan program has recently been established for drinking water issues.