When storm water quality is considered from the beginning, a new development or redevelopment project will be better designed to reduce pollution from storm water runoff throughout the life of the project. As part of its Post-Construction Best Management Practices (BMPs), the City of Surprise has developed this webpage aimed at home-owners associations (HOAs), developers and owners of storm water structures. In order to effectively implement a post-construction storm water program, a combination of both structural and non-structural BMPs must be addressed.

» City of Surprise AZPDES Requirements

	In general, the post-construction runoff minimum control measures that the City of Surprise must meet under the Arizona Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit (AZPDES) are:

• Develop, implement and enforce a program that ensures that controls are in place that would prevent or minimize water quality impacts from development and redevelopment projects. 

• Ensure the adequate long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) of BMPs.

• Develop and implement strategies that include a combination of structural and non-structural BMPs appropriate for the community.

• Develop an ordinance to address post-construction runoff from new development and redevelopment projects.

The Utilities Department is currently working on a post-construction runoff ordinance. The current ordinance, available in the City of Surprise Municipal Code Title 20, Chapter 15.20, requires that retention basins drain within a 36-hour period and that owners of drywells submit operation and maintenance (O&M) reports annually. Additional post-construction site ordinance development may include any or all of the following:

• Require Storm Water Management Plans for development and redevelopment projects to include long term operation and maintenance programs, identifying responsible parties for the O&M program, and require updates as conditions change.

• Expand the existing reporting requirements to include other storm water structures.

• Assess penalties to owners of storm water structures who fail to properly maintain them in proper operating condition.

» Common Storm Water Structures and BMPs

Structural BMPs are preventative actions that involve management, source controls, and the education or implementation of pollution prevention practices. Most of the development in Surprise consists of structural BMPs utilizing storm water retention, which incorporates a combination of detention and infiltration strategies. The most prevalent of these BMPs include retention basins, subsurface retention structures, and drywells. These structures require a well developed O&M maintenance plan in order to keep them functioning properly. Other significant components of the storm water system include streets and parking areas, street scuppers, culverts, catch basins and storm water sewer lines. Generally, these are not considered structural BMPs because they do not offer any function that can improve quality or control the quantity of storm water runoff. Alternatively, these structures are designed to collect, channelise, and direct storm water runoff to structural BMPs or directly to open channels or rivers. The following fact sheets summarize the common elements of Surprise’s storm water system and provide non-structural BMP information such as pollution prevention and O&M summaries of these types of structures.   Common Storm Water Structures Catch Basins & Headwalls Streets & Parking Areas Subsurface Retention & Drywells Street Scuppers & Retention Basins

 

» EPA Post-Construction Fact Sheets

The following Fact Sheets developed by the EPA provide information on some structural and non-structural BMPs that could be considered in order to reduce pollution from storm water runoff from new development and redevelopment projects.

Infiltration
Grassed Swales	Infiltration Basin
Infiltration Trench	Porous Pavement
Filtration
Bioretention (Rain Gardens)	Catch Basin Inserts
Sand and Organic Filters	Vegetated Filter Strip
Retention/Detention
Dry Detention Ponds	In-Line Storage
On-Lot Treatment	Storm water Wetland
Wet Ponds	Text
Other
Alum Injection	Manufactured Products for Storm water Inlets