Announcements

MS4 Storm Water Management

Nick Wulczyn - Storm Water Officer

To see the Town of Rosendale’s 2022-2023 Stormwater Management MS4 Annual Final Report: View the information

For information on how to Make Your Home the Solution to Stormwater Pollution: View the information

Please contact the Town of Rosendale Stormwater Officer with any comments on the 2022-2023 MS4 Annual Final Report: [email protected]

Stormwater Management Training Classes offered: Stormwater Management Training

WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT STORMWATER?

Stormwater is rain or snow melt that travels over the land we live on. As it travels, it picks up pollutants from our everyday activities. These pollutants include oil, grease, dirt, heavy metals from cars and trucks, pesticides and fertilizers from lawns and gardens, viruses and bacteria from pet and farm waste, road salt, and wash water from cars and buildings.

When stormwater reaches our streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, the pollutants can cause algae blooms, fish kills, and excessive weed growth. The Town of Rosendale is defined by its prominent water resources: the Rondout Creek, the Wallkill River, and the Binnewater Lakes. Stormwater pollution can cause these important community water resources to become unfit for swimming, boating, fish and wildlife.

If contaminated stormwater seeps down into the ground, it can make underground water supplies undrinkable. The Town of Rosendale is particularly prone to groundwater contamination due to extensive karst geology. This type of geology contains many sink holes, caves, springs and sinking streams that allow surface water to seep directly into the groundwater.

WHAT CAN THE TOWN OF ROSENDALE DO ABOUT STORMWATER POLLUTION?

The Town of Rosendale is a regulated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) community, meaning that the town must provide six minimum measures of control for reducing stormwater pollution impacts to local water resources. These six minimum measures are:

  1. Education and outreach
  2. Public participation and involvement
  3. Illicit discharge detection and elimination
  4. Construction site runoff control
  5. Post-construction runoff control
  6. Pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations

For more information about the six minimum measures of stormwater runoff control see the following publication: Six Minimum Measures of Control

WHAT CAN CONTRACTORS DO TO PREVENT STORMWATER RUNOFF?

Contractors must prevent soil erosion and pollution from their construction sites in order to prevent contamination of local water resources. All construction projects disturbing one acre or more of soil must comply with both local and state construction stormwater runoff control requirements. As a regulated MS4 municipality, the Town of Rosendale has a local law requiring a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for construction activities of one acre or more. Contact the Building Department at 845-658-3159 for more information.

For information about how to prepare a SWPPP see the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Construction Stormwater Toolbox at: View the information
For FREE downloads of the required technical standards for SWPPPs see:
New York Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control Construction Stormwater Toolbox
New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT STORMWATER POLLUTION?

Stormwater management is everyone’s responsibility. The following activities in your home, yard and business will prevent pollution from your property and keep our local water resources clean:

Car and Truck Washing

  • Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a grassed area
  • Check vehicles for leaks and spills, repair promptly
  • Clean up spilled fluids with absorbent material like kitty litter or sand – DON’T wash into street or storm drain
  • Recycle used oil and other automotive fluids at service station – NEVER dump in storm drain

Lawn and Garden

  • Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly.
  • DON’T apply pesticides and fertilizers if forecast calls for rain.
  • Plant native plants and grasses that need less water, fertilizer and pesticides.
  • Re-seed bare spots in yard to prevent soil erosion.
  • Direct downspouts onto lawns and towards rain gardens so stormwater goes into the ground.

Home Repair and Improvement

  • Sweep up leftover concrete and mortar instead of hosing down.
  • Clean up spills of paint, solvents and cleaners immediately and dispose of the waste safely.
  • Clean paint brushes in sink, not outdoors.
  • Filter and reuse paint thinner for oil-based paints.
  • Properly dispose of oil-based paints and solvents at household hazardous waste day.
  • For unused latex paint, leave top off, let dry out, and dispose of in regular trash.

Pet Care

  • Pick up pet waste and dispose of properly.

Swimming Pools

  • Allow 5-7 days for chlorine to evaporate BEFORE draining swimming pools.

Septic Systems

  • Pump your septic system every 3-5 years.
  • Plant only grass over the septic system drain field to avoid damage from roots.
  • Don’t flush paint, pesticides, oil, antifreeze into the system, they can destroy the natural bacteria and enter the groundwater.

For more homeowner tips see the following brochures:

(PDF) Storm Sewers – The rivers beneath our feet
(PDF) Stormwater Runoff – From my yard to our streams
(PDF) Make your home – The Solution to Stormwater Pollution!
(PDF) Protecting Water Quality from Urban Runoff – Clean Water is Everybody’s Business

The following websites provide more information about stormwater:

Better Site Design Program for the Hudson River Estuary Program
View the information

Ulster County Department of the Environment
View the information

Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District
ucswcd.org

The Low Impact Development Center, Inc.
lowimpactdevelopment.org