Stormwater

The spring rainy season has passed and now we’re in the summer season where rains can be less frequent, but a summer thunderstorm can be quite intense and can dump a lot of rain in a short amount of time. These rain events are needed but relate to a term we use here in the office a lot, impervious area!

Impervious areas are areas that are man-made and do not allow water to contact the soil. Instead, this water is forced to flow off this impervious area, eventually to some type of outlet.  A typical outlet is a lawn, road ditch, street, storm sewer or stream. This means that the rain water now gets to an outlet a lot faster than it used to.

Imagine an empty lot full of trees, shrubs and grass.  At this point, the whole lot would be considered pervious area.  Pervious meaning that when rain falls on the land, it now can penetrate or enter the soil.  Some of the water is taken up by the many plant roots. More water soaks into the soil, being absorbed as it goes down.  It makes it’s way down by pores & holes in the soil made by old roots, earthworms, animals and insects.  Eventually the rain would soak all the way to the water table and some would then be carried to streams. Some water makes it down even further to the ground water. This water has now been filtered by the soil and has recharged our ground water resources. Once the soil has become totally saturated, additional rain would not be absorbed and that water would become runoff, but as you can see it would take quite some time and a lot of water to get to this point.

Now, imagine this empty lot has been sold to someone who wants to build a new home and garage. The soil will be disturbed and a portion of the lot will be developed into impervious area by way of roofs, driveways and sidewalks. That rain water will no longer make it to the soil. Since this water has nowhere to soak, it adds up fast!  This becomes runoff immediately.

In the past, the accepted method to deal with impervious runoff was to gather it, put it into a tile or pipe and outlet it directly into a street, road ditch, stream or neighboring property. After many years and thousands of acres of impervious areas developed, it was observed that the rivers and streams began to widen, erode and change course drastically. This was due to all this impervious runoff getting to the stream too quickly and the stream was just adjusting to handle all of this rapid runoff.

Now we’ve learned from our past mistakes, and our focus is to slow impervious water down, giving streams time to handle the runoff.  We’re not saying that development can’t happen, we’re saying impervious runoff needs to be managed.

The Stormwater Regulations of Richland County were developed for this purpose. Richland SWCD administers the Stormwater Regulations for the Richland County Commissioners.

On residential sites we encourage applicants to outlet water from their impervious areas onto the soil, on their own property, giving this water a chance to soak into the soils as it did before development. This unlocks the benefit of water soaking into the soil but also slows the water so it’s not getting to the stream too quickly.

On commercial projects, engineers design practices to hold back the very large amounts of impervious runoff that large commercial sites generate.  These can consist of detention/retention basins, pervious pavement, rain gardens and underground detention.

Since Richland SWCD began administering the Stormwater program in 2000, we’ve been tracking the amount of impervious areas being developed in square footage.  We’ve tracked residential, commercial and agricultural projects and we’ve recently updated our website to include this data all the way to 2024.  Please check this out on our website.

If you want to do your part in reducing impervious runoff, you may want to look into installing rain barrels and/or rain gardens on your property.  You can also change your downspouts so that they outlet onto your lawn. Even small steps like these help protect our streams and reduce the impact of impervious surfaces in our community.

Our 2nd quarter of the year brought in many stormwater permits. We issued 14 permits for commercial projects between April 1, 2025 and June 30, 2025. We also issued 72 residential permits during that same time period with 48 of those being some sort of exemption. Please remember, if you are moving soil in the unincorporated areas of Richland County you need to consult with us about a stormwater permit to ensure you are following the Stormwater Management and Sediment Control Regulations of Richland County.

And now for a Stormwater Minute: Did you know that Agricultural projects are NOT exempt from the county’s Stormwater and Sediment Control Regulations? While agricultural construction is typically exempt from building and zoning regulations (still check in with each of these departments if you have an ag project), it is still subject to stormwater permitting requirements. We require site plans and the permit application to be submitted to our office. We inspect projects that go over the 2,000 square foot threshold outline in the County’s regulations. Stormwater Permits for Agricultural projects are fee exempt though and never cost the farmer anything.

Stormwater Permitting | MS4/NPDES

Stormwater Permitting

Richland Soil & Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is the manager of Richland County’s Stormwater Management and Sediment Control Regulations. Any building projects that entail earth disturbance and/or new impervious surface are permitted through our office (applies to all unincorporated areas in Richland County, and the Village of Lexington, only). 

MS4/NPDES Program Update

The MS4/NPDES permit is a crucial regulatory measure designed to manage and reduce pollution from stormwater runoff in urbanized areas. The permit, part of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, specifically targets Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in communities with populations of 100,000 or more. By mandating the implementation of effective stormwater management practices, the MS4/NPDES permit plays a vital role in minimizing pollutants entering local water bodies.

Sam and Zoe have been focusing on illicit discharge detection and elimination. This quarter, they dry weather screened five outfalls in Madison Township. Through these comprehensive efforts, Richland SWCD strives to ensure effective stormwater management, helping to prevent pollution and protect local water bodies.

Single Use Plastics

In 2024, the focus of the MS4/NPDES permit theme is Pollution Prevention, highlighting its crucial role in protecting public health, preserving aquatic ecosystems, and ensuring clean water for future generations.

Along with regulatory efforts, reducing the usage of single-use plastics emerges as a pivotal strategy in combating pollution. These plastics significantly contribute to stormwater pollution often ending up in waterways, where they harm wildlife and degrade ecosystems.

Examples of single-use plastics include take-out containers, straws, cups/bottles, and grocery bags. When aquatic organisms encounter these items, studies show they frequently ingest them, mistaking them for food, or become ensnared. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes, “Scientists have observed ingestion or entanglement in plastic waste by at least 558 species” with this number expected to rise as more waste enters water bodies.

Most plastics are non-biodegradable, breaking down into smaller pieces known as microplastics that persist indefinitely. National Geographic reports, “Microplastics have been found in marine life ranging from plankton to whales, in commercial seafood, and even in drinking water.” The impacts of microplastics are still being studied, but both aquatic animals and humans inadvertently consume them, posing a significant environmental and health concern.

What Can You Do?

How can individuals help prevent plastic pollution? Simple actions like recycling plastics and reducing your reliance on single-use plastics can make a profound difference. Opt for reusable grocery totes instead of plastic bags, switch to reusable water bottles instead of disposable ones, and explore alternatives like reusable sandwich bags, wraps, and straws. Going further, consider picking up plastic litter in your surroundings with gloves to prevent it from reaching waterways.

Together, these efforts can significantly decrease plastic pollution in our waters and contribute to safeguarding aquatic environments for future generations.