Warwick Township Revised Stormwater Management Ordinance (#262)

The Board of Supervisors adopted a
revised Stormwater Management Ordinance at their
regularly scheduled meeting on April 16, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Warwick Township
Stormwater Management Update

In November 2013, the PA Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP") approved the Lancaster County Model Stormwater Management Ordinance. The Ordinance was developed as part of the Water Resources component of the County Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of the ordinance is to control runoff rates associated with impervious areas of newly developed and redeveloped properties and, in addition, to improve the quality of the stormwater runoff and to promote groundwater recharge.

Warwick Township was required to revise its Stormwater Management Ordinance in accordance with the County's DEP approved model ordinance no later than May 7, 2014.  The Board of Supervisors adopted an updated Stormwater Management Ordinance at the regularly scheduled meeting on April 16, 2014.

The main impact of the Township's updated ordinance is to enable an applicant to use a "Small Projects Design Assistance Guidance" permit application for impervious areas less than 2,500 square feet. Under the revised ordinance, any existing lot of record in the Township, which has undergone no impervious area additions since June 21, 2006, will be eligible for a stormwater management exemption up to a cumulative 1,000 square feet of new impervious area. Cumulative impervious areas between 1,001 and 2,500 square feet would be eligible to use the "Small Projects Design Assistance Guidance" permit application.

Small Projects require the applicant to provide stormwater analysis and controls that might be able to be completed by the applicant, without the need for a formal stormwater management plan, by using the application and worksheets in the Small Projects permit application.  Examples of small project controls are included in the application as well.

Projects larger than the cumulative 2,500 square feet require the assistance of an engineering consultant to prepare plans and calculations, as they have in the past.

* If the Small Projects Design Assistance Guidance permit application is certified by an Engineer, the submittal fee is $675 ($175 application fee + $500 Escrow); if the application is not certified by an Engineer, the submittal fee is $1,750 ($250 application fee + $1,500 Escrow).  Any amount in the Escrow fund which exceeds the professional consultant review costs will be returned to the Applicant.