STP Maintenance Resources Introduction

Stormwater treatment practices (STPs) need frequent maintenance to function properly over time. While maintenance has long been recognized as an important component of STP performance and longevity, it has frequently been neglected. Often, communities do not have the infrastructure in place to track, let alone maintain, the proliferation of STPs throughout their communities. With the implementation of NPDES Phase II, STPs will be more widely implemented, creating an even greater need for consistent and frequent inspection and maintenance. In order to meet this challenge, the stormwater manager needs a suite of tools at his or her disposal, from legal authority to inspect and maintain STPs to educational materials for maintenance of privately owned STPs.

This web site offers some of the key components of a successful maintenance program:

• Pond and Wetland Maintenance Guidebook - Draft September 2004 PDF (3.6MB)
  This guidebook provides guidance for maintenance considerations associated with ponds and wetlands during the design, construction, and postconstruction phases aimed at minimizing the burden of long-term maintenance. The primary audience for the Guidebook is Phase I and Phase II NPDES communities and provides the inspector, program manager, designer, and owner (i.e., responsible party) with an understanding of common stormwater pond and wetland maintenance problems and possible solutions.
• Inspection and Maintenance Ordinance Language
  The ordinance language establishes the legal authority to inspect STPs, and outlines timelines and penalties for improper maintenance.
• Maintenance Easements
  Maintenance easements establish the right of a community to enter private property to access an STP for routine maintenance or inspection.
• Performance Bonds
  Performance bonds are a financial arrangement used to finance final construction or maintenance of an STP in the event of contractor default.
• Maintenance Agreements and Arrangements
  A stormwater maintenance agreement is a formal contract between a local government and a property owner designed to guarantee that specific STP maintenance functions are performed in exchange for permission to develop that property.
• STP Tracking System Options
  A community's tracking system records details about the condition and maintenance track record of STPs on the ground.
• Maintenance Unit Costs
  The unit costs provided in this section can be used to estimate the financial burden associated with both repairing existing STPs and conducting routine maintenance. Included in this section is a table of maintenance to help communities develop maintenance budgets based on the types of STPs owned.
• Maintenance Frequencies
  This section describes typical frequency of inspection and repair items for STPs. These frequencies can be used to tailor inspection programs, and also used in conjunction with routine costs to estimate the overall program costs of routine maintenance.
• Maintenance Inspection Checklists, Reminders and Notifications
  This section provides example checklists that identify routine STP inspection items. The checklists highlight the key items that need to be inspected during regular visits. When a routine maintenance inspection reveals a problem, the STP owner needs to be contacted and given a timeframe within which to complete repairs. Some example letters are included within this section.
• STP Maintenance Education Materials/Links
  Since many STPs are privately held, either by commercial property owners or homeowners' associations, educational materials can supplement a routine inspection program by alerting owners to routine STP maintenance needs.