City of Northfield, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Summary

In 2010 the City of Northfield worked with Barr Engineering to reorganize and update the city's stormwater management ordinance and to add an Illicit Discharge ordinance in order to be in compliance with state and federal regulations. The ordinances were adopted in October 2010. The adopted ordinance language can be found in Chapter 22, Article VI of the city code. These webpages summarize the process by which the ordinances were developed and adopted. Background materials used in the development of the ordinaces are also included, as is a policy document (PDF) intended to assist Northfield and Bridgewater Township in protecting Rice Creek.

Background

In 2007 the City updated its Comprehensive Plan and Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) and adopted a new Greenway Corridor Plan.  The comprehensive plan set the groundwork and priorities for protection of our waters and natural resources.  The Surface Water Management Plan and the Greenway Corridor Plan built off of these core values and addressed issues related to management of surface water and natural resources.  The next level of protecting our resources is ensuring regulations and policies are in place to accomplish the specific goals.

The current city code addresses stormwater within the Land Development Code (LDC).  The code was created over 10 years ago with the stormwater pieces scattered through the LDC.  The disjointed nature of the regulations makes it very difficult to follow.  Significant advances in stormwater management have also been made over the last decade that is reflected in the SWMP.  In conjunction with the City’s plans is the NPDES MS4 permit granted in 2008.  The federally-mandated program requires the city not only to look at regulation in response to land use changes, it requires other regulations be put in place that address enforcement, operation and maintenance.  For these reasons the stormwater regulations have been placed in a chapter of their own to show the importance of the regulations and make the City Code more user friendly.   In 2009 the City updated the stormwater code by adopting a new erosion and sediment control ordinance in compliance with current day practices and the City’s NPDES MS4 permit.  The next step in the process was to work with consultant Barr Engineering Co. in 2010 to draft regulations and policies to address a number of other stormwater concerns including:

• Incorporate changes in stormwater regulations outlined in Section V of the 2007 Surface Water Management Plan. 
• Incorporate recommendations of the Greenway Corridor Plan.
• Address life cycle regulation of low impact development stormwater techniques that could include plan design and review, installation, ongoing maintenance and inspections, property rights, etc.
• Update the shore land protection section to be in compliance with the draft update of the DNR model ordinance and consider community desires for shore land protection.
• Consider and address the recommendations of the Rice Creek Concerned Citizens Group.
• Incorporate provisions to meet or exceed the requirements in the NPDES MS4 permit for illicit discharges and connections.
• Incorporate provisions for Expanded Discharges as necessary.

More Information

• Local Government Collaboration
• Public Input (including sign-up for email notifications)
• Project Process and Committees
• Documents