Scranton's Stormwater Management Ordinance (Chapter 405, adopted March 9, 2006) governs runoff, infiltration, and BMP maintenance under PA Act 167 and the PADEP NPDES MS4 permit. All stormwater in the City drains to the Lackawanna River and then the North Branch of the Susquehanna.
Stormwater in Scranton is regulated under three layers. Federal: an NPDES MS4 permit issued by PADEP under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 92a controls the City's separate storm sewer system. State: the PA Stormwater Management Act of 1978 (Act 167, 32 P.S. 680.1) requires counties to adopt watershed plans that municipalities implement. Local: Chapter 405 of the Codified Ordinances of Scranton, adopted by City Council on March 9, 2006, sets the Stormwater Management Standards and SWM Site Plan Requirements found at eCode360. File of Council No. 76 of 2012 further specifies that any project disturbing more than 5,000 square feet of earth requires an approved SWM site plan reviewed by the City. Permanent BMPs must be maintained for the life of the development.
Discharging non-stormwater into the MS4, failing to maintain a required BMP, or commencing regulated earth disturbance without an approved SWM site plan violates Chapter 405. Under Article X of the chapter, summary offenses can be punished by a fine of not more than $300, and PADEP can pursue civil penalties under the Clean Streams Law.
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See how Scranton's stormwater management rules stack up against other locations.
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