Inspect Your Private Water Quality Facility Twice Per Year: Spring & Fall

Home, rain garden — Rain garden at Rose Villa using native plants and soil to slow down stormwater and filter out pollutants as water soaks into the ground.

Owner name (required)

Email (required)

Inspector name (required)

SWM Document Number (required)

Facility location/address (required)

Inspection Timing (required)

Spring

Fall

Access notes

Components inspected (required)

Structural components: include all ‘hard’ elements of the facility (inlets, flow spreaders, liners, overflow caps, etc.).

Ponding area: includes areas on the surface or underground where stormwater accumulates. Inspect for blockages, sediment, and trash.

Vegetation: includes maintaining vegetation, so the facility can function as designed (i.e., tree pruning, weed removal, mowing, grass management).

Maintenance actions performed (required)

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A bio swale between two buildings, overgrown with vegetation and featuring wooden siding and planters. — Inspect and maintain swales to support water quality.

What is the goal of the private water quality facility management program?

OLWS complies with the NPDES MS4 Permit to make sure that private water quality facilities function as intended. This includes educating facility owners on maintenance as needed, inspection twice per year, and reporting once per year.

As an owner of a private water quality facility, what is my responsibility?

Owners inspect facilities two times per year, perform maintenance to support filtration and drainage, and report to OLWS on their actions.

If you receive a maintenance correction list from OLWS that identifies deficiencies with your facility, you must address the deficiencies.

How do facilities help water quality?

Water quality facilities fall into categories — vegetated and structural. The design of facilities meets standards outlined in the OLWS Design and Construction Standards.

When stormwater passes through vegetated facilities, soils and roots filter a variety of pollutants and nutrients.
In a structural facility, stormwater pollutants are removed through filter media such as perlite.
There are also water quality catch basins and manholes, which capture sediments and floatables prior to the discharge into either vegetated or structural water quality facilities.

Why are inspections and maintenance required?

Inspect and maintain to remove polluted sediment and debris, and renew clean soil or native plants.

Maintained facilities:

Filter stormwater pollution from local waterways.
Reduce localized flooding and erosion issues.
Provide oxygen, habitat, and beauty which support human and critter health.

Refer to example websites for:

Cleaning tips, including approved native vegetation that can be replanted in facilities.
Fact sheets that help you identify invasive weeds and methods of control.
Operation and maintenance plans that provide guidance on how to maintain each type of facility.

How often will OLWS inspect my facility?

OLWS will inspect your facility at least once every five years as per permit requirements.

OLWS will attempt to notify you before entering the property to perform inspections.

What happens if I do not perform the required maintenance after deficiencies are identified by OLWS?

OLWS will work with each owner to address deficiencies identified during an inspection. The first step is to educate each property owner on the importance of maintenance and how to maintain their facility. The goal is to achieve voluntary compliance. If voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, OLWS holds the authority to implement an escalating enforcement process.

Stormwater Facilities Inspection and Maintenance Form

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