Stratford, CT Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Section 6.12 of the Stratford Zoning Regulations sets the minimum standards for stormwater management in the Town of Stratford. Section 6.12.2 requires a stormwater management plan with any application for development when the disturbed area is cumulatively more than 1/2 acre. A single-family dwelling that is not part of a subdivision of land is exempt if its disturbed area is cumulatively less than one acre.

Section 6.12.3 requires the plan to demonstrate a zero impact to the Town's storm drainage system, including natural waterway systems, and directs the applicant to evaluate downstream conditions. The plan covers pre-development and post-development calculations of runoff, for both quantity and quality. Design follows the Connecticut Stormwater Quality Manual published by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, plus the requirements of Town stormwater ordinances. Where those documents are silent, item 3 sets the floor: retain the first 1.3 inches of runoff from impervious areas on site and provide a zero increase in the peak rate of runoff for the twenty-five-year storm, with an evaluation of the impacts from a fifty- and 100-year storm. If a larger design storm is warranted after consultation with the Town Engineer, the drainage is designed for no net increase in peak runoff from the 100-year storm.

The plan must identify the existing and proposed impervious area and the existing and proposed Directly Connected Impervious Area (DCIA), and the proposed figure must be a reduction in DCIA. It must also specify post construction operations and maintenance of structural stormwater best management practices.

Chapter 172 adds a discharge rule. Section 172-117 bars any person from discharging materials other than stormwater into the municipal storm drain system or watercourses that contribute to a violation of water quality standards, and Section 172-120 requires every owner of property through which a watercourse passes to keep that part free of trash, debris and excessive vegetation. Section 6.13.3 keeps new buildings and impervious surfaces 50 feet from the mean high-water line of any water body or watercourse and from freshwater inland wetlands.