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Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance |
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The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (District) has begun the process of developing a countywide stormwater management regulatory ordinance to be known as the Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance (WMO). The District has retained the services of a consulting engineering firm, Engineering Resource Associates, Inc. (ERA), to assist in this important endeavor. ERA has extensive experience in the development of stormwater management regulations. ERA assisted in the development of a Best Management Practices manual for the DuPage County Stormwater Management Division and a Technical Reference Manual in support of the Lake County Stormwater Ordinance. The WMO will establish uniform, minimum, countywide stormwater management regulations for Cook County. Components which may be regulated under the WMO include drainage and detention, floodplain management, wetland protection, stream habitat and riparian environment protection, soil erosion and sediment control, and water quality. Further information regarding the WMO can be found in Chapter 7 of the Cook County Stormwater Management Plan. A Technical Guidance Manual (TGM) will also be developed and serve as a companion document to the WMO, by providing detailed information, methodologies and examples to explain how compliance with the rules and regulations set forth in the WMO can be achieved. Various options were considered to create an effective process to ensure that all interested stakeholders are afforded an opportunity to be heard during development of the WMO. Ultimately the District decided it would be most efficient to form two advisory committees: a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and a Public and Private Organization Advisory Committee (PPOAC). The purpose of the committees is to provide input to the District during development of the WMO. The District will also conduct public hearings and provide a public review period when a draft version of the WMO is completed, which is anticipated to be in late 2008 or early 2009. Membership on the TAC was limited to municipalities and various agencies with stormwater management regulatory authority and enforcement responsibilities. Each Watershed Planning Council (WPC) was requested to designate two municipal engineers and/or public works directors to represent the concerns of the overall WPC membership to the District. The District is aware that many organizations and groups may have an interest in participating in the development of the WMO. For this reason, the District formed a PPOAC whose membership includes environmental groups, non-profit agencies, and private industry representatives. The purpose of the PPOAC is to provide recommendations to the TAC on specific issues of interest. The District conducts working meetings with both the TAC and PPOAC on a regular basis. The general public is encouraged to participate in the development of the WMO by attending upcoming Watershed Planning Council (WPC) meetings for their respective watersheds. A representative from the District is present at all WPC meetings, which are open to the public, to provide updates on the status of the WMO and to address any questions from the WPC membership or general public as may arise. A listing of each major watershed located within Cook County and the communities that are present within them can be found clicking on the respective watershed here. The current WPC schedule can be found here. |