News Flash

The study group’s first meeting to tackle this initiative will be held Thursday, May 25, 2017 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the second floor conference room of City Hall. This meeting is open to the news media.

Columbus has a municipal separate storm sewer system known as MS4, and is required by EPA to have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for stormwater runoff. The city is taking a proactive approach to this requirement before the EPA attempts any enforcement actions.

According to City Engineer, Rick Bogus, there are several other positive reasons for the community to have a stormwater master plan: “Some of our existing stormwater systems in various parts of town do not adequately handle significant rainfall, which leads to flooding. We are seeking to determine the best approach to handle current stormwater challenges, as well as position the community to grow with more effective stormwater management practices in the future.”

Mayor Jim Bulkley and the city council wanted to ensure that community members from all four wards and from different walks of life were involved with project engineers hired by the city in creating the plan. The study group consists of eight members and will meet four times over the next two and half months.

The stormwater master planning process will consider options such as a regional stormwater detention approach, continuing with onsite detention, as is commonly practiced now, and other innovations such as rain gardens, infiltration trenches and pervious pavements.

JEO Consulting Group will develop the stormwater master plan with input from the study group. JEO’s community engagement director, Steven Wolf, will help facilitate study group meetings.