Farmington Hills is a Phase II Jurisdictional MS4 community in the Rouge River watershed regulated under EGLE NPDES General Permit MIS040000 and is a Primary Member of the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC). Local stormwater authority is codified in Chapter 33 (Water and Sewers), Article IX — Stormwater Management of the Farmington Hills Code of Ordinances and administered by the Department of Public Services / Engineering Division at (248) 871-2560. The City has adopted a Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP) under the MS4 general permit and runs an Illicit Discharge Elimination Plan (IDEP), public education through Project Rouge River at Home, and post-construction stormwater controls.
Farmington Hills stormwater authority sits at three layers. Federally, the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1342) requires NPDES permit coverage for Small MS4s under 40 CFR 122.34. At the state layer, EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) issues the Jurisdictional MS4 Storm Water General Permit MIS040000 under Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), MCL 324.3101 et seq., which requires the City to implement a Storm Water Management Plan covering the six minimum measures: public education and outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE/IDEP), construction site runoff control, post-construction stormwater management, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping. Locally, Chapter 33 Article IX of the Farmington Hills Code of Ordinances codifies the City's stormwater program — including the definition of MS4, prohibition of illicit discharges and illicit connections, post-construction stormwater controls for new and redevelopment projects, and enforcement. Farmington Hills lies entirely within the Rouge River watershed (Middle Rouge, Upper Rouge, and Main Rouge subwatersheds) and is a Primary Member of the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC) — a multi-jurisdictional watershed council that coordinates Rouge River compliance with the EGLE-approved Rouge River Watershed Management Plan and the Rouge TMDLs for E. coli and biota. The City participates in ARC's joint public education program (including 'Project Rouge River at Home') and submits an annual progress report to EGLE under MIS040000. Post-construction stormwater management is enforced through Chapter 33 Article IX and the Engineering Design Standards, with the typical channel-protection storm at the 1-year 24-hour event and water-quality treatment of the first 0.5 inch of runoff from impervious surfaces. Report illicit discharges, sediment plumes, oil sheens, soap or paint in storm drains, or illegal dumping into Rouge River tributaries to the Department of Public Services / Engineering at (248) 871-2560 or the DPW yard at (248) 871-2850.
Violations of Chapter 33 Article IX of the Farmington Hills Code are enforceable as municipal civil infractions under Chapter 1, Section 1-15 of the Code, with civil fines and injunctive relief in the 47th District Court. Illicit discharges to the MS4 are independently prohibited and can trigger EGLE enforcement under Part 31 of NREPA (MCL 324.3115) with civil penalties up to $25,000 per day per violation and injunctive remedies. Sediment-laden runoff discharging to Rouge River tributaries can also trigger Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner (WRC) Part 91 (Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control) enforcement. Federal Clean Water Act enforcement under 33 U.S.C. 1319 exposes a violator to civil penalties up to $66,712 per day per violation (2024 adjustment) and criminal penalties for knowing violations. Failure to implement the SWMP under MIS040000 can result in EGLE administrative consent orders and additional permit conditions for the City — which would be passed through to non-compliant landowners and contractors as Stop Work orders and certificate-of-occupancy withholding.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Farmington Hills, MI
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