[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of the Town of Southampton 6-12-2021 by Art. 12 (Art. XLVII of the General Bylaws). Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
Purpose.
(1) 
The purpose of this bylaw is to better manage land development in order to protect, maintain, and enhance the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Southampton by establishing minimum requirements and procedures to control the adverse impacts associated with stormwater runoff.
(2) 
The proper management of stormwater runoff will meet the following objectives:
(a) 
Reduce the adverse water quality impacts of stormwater discharges to rivers, lakes, reservoirs and streams in order to attain federal water quality standards.
(b) 
Prevent the discharge of pollutants, including hazardous chemicals, into stormwater runoff.
(c) 
Minimize the volume and rate of stormwater that is discharged to rivers, streams, reservoirs, lakes and combined sewers that flows from any site during and following development.
(d) 
Prevent erosion and sedimentation from land development, and reduce stream channel erosion caused by increased runoff.
(e) 
Provide for the recharge of groundwater aquifers and maintain the base flow of streams.
(f) 
Provide stormwater facilities that are attractive, maintain the natural integrity of the environment, and are designed to protect public safety.
(g) 
Maintain or reduce predevelopment runoff characteristics after development to the maximum extent feasible.
(h) 
Minimize damage to public and private property from flooding.
(i) 
Ensure that these management controls are properly maintained.
(3) 
This bylaw and its associated regulations are also intended to bring the Town of Southampton into compliance with requirements in the United States Environmental Protection Agency National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems in Massachusetts ("Massachusetts Small MS4 General Permit").
B. 
Authority. The Southampton Planning Board will serve as the Stormwater Authority and shall administer, implement, and enforce this bylaw. Any powers granted to or duties imposed upon the Planning Board hereunder may be delegated in writing by the Planning Board to any Town official, including but not limited to the Highway Superintendent.
The following definitions describe the meaning of the terms used in this bylaw:
ADVERSE IMPACT
Means any deleterious effect on waters or wetlands, including their quality, quantity, surface area, species composition, aesthetics or usefulness for human or natural uses, which is or may potentially be harmful or injurious to human health, welfare, safety or property, to biological productivity, diversity, or stability or which unreasonably interferes with the enjoyment of life or property, including outdoor recreation.
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY
A. 
Producing or raising one or more of the following agricultural commodities for commercial purposes:
(1) 
Animals, including but not limited to livestock, poultry, and bees;
(2) 
Fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, maple sap, and other foods for human consumption; and
(3) 
Feed, seed, forage, tobacco, flowers, sod, nursery or greenhouse products, and ornamental plants or shrubs; and
B. 
As further defined by the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and its implementing regulations.[1]
ALTER
Is any activity that will measurably change the ability of a ground surface area to absorb water or will change existing surface drainage patterns. "Alter" may be similarly represented as "alteration of drainage characteristics" and "conducting land disturbance activities."
AUTHORIZED ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
Is the Southampton Planning Board, including its agents designated to enforce this bylaw.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS)
Are structural or biological devices that temporarily store or treat stormwater runoff to reduce flooding, remove pollutants, and provide other amenities. They can also be nonstructural practices that reduce pollutants at their source. BMPs are described in the Massachusetts Stormwater Handbook defined below.
[Amended 5-9-2023 ATM by Art. 31]
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY
Is disturbance of the ground by removal of vegetative surface cover or topsoil, grading, excavation, clearing and/or filling.
DESIGN STORM
Is a rainfall event of specified size and return frequency that is used to calculate the runoff volume and peak discharge rate to a BMP.
DETENTION
Is the temporary storage of storm runoff in a BMP, which is used to control the peak discharge rates, and which provides gravity settling of pollutants.
DISTURBANCE
Is any land clearing, grading, bulldozing, digging or similar activities.
EROSION
Is the wearing away of the land surface by natural or artificial forces, such as wind, water, ice, gravity, or vehicle traffic, and subsequent detachment and transportation of soil particles.
EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PLAN
Is a document containing narrative, drawings and details, developed by a qualified professional engineer (PE) or a certified professional in erosion and sedimentation control (CPESC), that includes best management practices or equivalent measures designed to control surface runoff, erosion, and sedimentation during construction and construction-related land disturbance activities.
FLOODING
Is a local and temporary inundation or a rise in the surface of a body of water, such that it covers land not usually under water.
FOREST CUTTING PLAN
Is a plan for the cutting of trees on forest land that is prepared and submitted in accordance with MGL c. 132, §§ 40 to 46. The forest cutting plan requires approval by a Service Forester of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, as provided under 302 CMR 16.00 et seq.
[Amended 5-9-2023 ATM by Art. 31]
GRADING
Means changing the level or shape of the ground surface.
GROUNDWATER
Is all water beneath any land surface, including water in the soil and bedrock beneath water bodies, but not including water in man-made structures.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
Is any material or structure on or above the ground that prevents water from infiltrating through the underlying soil. "Impervious surface" is defined to include, but not limited to: paved parking lots, rooftops, driveways, patios, and paved roads.
INFILTRATION
Is the downward movement of water from the surface to the subsoil.
LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT
Is a development approach that seeks to mimic (or in the case of redevelopment, restore/recreate) a site's predevelopment hydrology through protection of on-site natural features and environmentally sensitive site design that limits impervious areas, preserves open space, and uses decentralized small-scale facilities to capture and manage rainfall (or snowmelt) close to where it falls. These small-scale facilities serve to slow, absorb, and treat flow and include bioretention areas, grass swales, porous pavements, cisterns, and green roofs and walls.
MASSACHUSETTS STORMWATER HANDBOOK AND STORMWATER STANDARDS
Is the guidance issued by MassDEP, and as amended, that coordinates the requirements prescribed by state regulations promulgated under the authority of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, MGL c. 131, § 40, and Massachusetts Clean Waters Act, MGL c. 21, §§ 26 to 53. The handbook addresses stormwater impacts through implementation of performance standards to promote increased stormwater recharge, the treatment of runoff from polluting land uses, low-impact development (LID) techniques, pollution prevention, the removal of illicit discharges to stormwater management systems, and improved operation and maintenance of stormwater best management practices (BMPs). MassDEP applies the stormwater management standards pursuant to its authority under the Wetlands Protection Act, MGL c. 131, § 40, and the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act, MGL c. 21, §§ 26 to 53. The revised stormwater management standards have been incorporated in the Wetlands Protection Act Regulations, 310 CMR 10.05(6)(k), and the Water Quality Certification Regulations, 314 CMR 9.06(6)(a).
NEW DEVELOPMENT
Is any construction activities or land alteration resulting in total earth disturbances greater than 40,000 square feet (or activities that are part of a larger common plan of development disturbing greater than 40,000 square feet) on an area that has not previously been developed to include impervious cover.
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION
Is pollution from many diffuse sources caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into water resource areas.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE PLAN
Is a plan that defines the functional, financial and organizational mechanisms for the ongoing operation and maintenance of a stormwater management system to ensure that it continues to function as designed.
OWNER
Is the person with a legal or equitable interest in a property.
PEAK DISCHARGE
Is the maximum instantaneous rate of flow during a storm, usually in reference to a specific design storm event.
PERSON
Is any individual, group of individuals, or entity, including an association, partnership, corporation, company, business, organization, trust, estate, administrative agency, public or quasi-public corporation or body, the commonwealth or political subdivision thereof.
POINT SOURCE
Is any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, or container, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
POLLUTANT
Is any element of property or sewage, agricultural, industrial or commercial waste, runoff, leachate, heated effluent, or other matter, whether originating at a point or nonpoint source, that is or may be introduced into any sewage treatment works or waters of the commonwealth. Pollutants shall include:
A. 
Paints, varnishes and solvents;
B. 
Oil and other automotive fluids;
C. 
Nonhazardous liquid and solid wastes and yard wastes;
D. 
Refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter, or other discarded or abandoned objects, accumulations and floatables;
E. 
Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers;
F. 
Hazardous materials and wastes; sewage, fecal coliform and pathogens;
G. 
Dissolved and particulate metals;
H. 
Animal wastes and residues;
I. 
Rock, sand, salt and soils;
J. 
Construction wastes and residues; and
K. 
Noxious or offensive matter of any kind.
RECHARGE
Is the replenishment of underground water reserves.
REDEVELOPMENT
Is any construction, land alteration, or improvement of impervious surfaces resulting in total earth disturbances greater than 40,000 square feet or activities that are part of a larger common plan of development disturbing greater than 40,000 square feet that does not meet the definition of "new development" (see above).
RELATED ENTITIES
Are any corporation in which the owner is an officer, director or shareholder; a limited partnership in which the owner is a limited partner or general partner; a general partnership in which the owner is a partner; a limited liability company in which the owner is a shareholder or director; a trust in which the owner is a trustee or beneficiary; or any other entity in which the owner has a beneficial interest.
RETENTION
Is the holding of runoff in a basin without release except by means of evaporation, infiltration, or emergency bypass.
RUNOFF
Is rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation water flowing over the ground surface.
SEDIMENT
Is any mineral or organic soil material that is transported by wind or water from its origin to another location, the product of erosion processes.
SEDIMENTATION
Is a process of depositing material that has been suspended and transported in water.
SITE
Is the area extent of construction activities, including but not limited to the creation of new impervious cover and improvement of existing impervious cover.
STOP-WORK ORDER
Is an order issued that requires that all construction activity on a site be stopped.
STORMWATER AUTHORITY
Administers, implements, and enforces the Southampton Stormwater Management and Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw and associated regulations. See § 227-1B above for more information on the Authority and § 227-5 below for more information on administration.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Is the use of structural or nonstructural practices that are designed to reduce stormwater runoff pollutant loads, discharge volumes, and/or peak flow discharge rates.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PERMIT
Is the permit issued by the Southampton Planning Board, after review of an application, including plans (stormwater management and erosion and sediment control), calculations, and other supporting documents, that is designed to protect the Town from the adverse effects of uncontrolled and untreated stormwater runoff.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Is a plan to be submitted with the application for a stormwater management permit, which shall include current and proposed site conditions, proposed improvements, proposed stormwater control measures, development schedules, and such other matters as may be required by the Southampton Planning Board.
[1]
Editor's Note: See MGL c. 131, §§ 40 and 40A.
This bylaw shall apply throughout the Town of Southampton. Prior to the issuance of any special permit, site plan approval, or other development permit for any proposed new development or redevelopment projects listed below, a stormwater management permit, or a waiver of the requirement for a stormwater management permit, must be approved by the Southampton Planning Board. No person shall, on or after the effective date of this bylaw, initiate any land clearing, land grading, earthmoving or construction activities without first complying with this bylaw. The following uses and activities shall be required to submit a complete stormwater management permit application which shall include a stormwater management plan, including drainage reports, an erosion and sediment control plan, construction drawings, specifications, operation and maintenance plan, and as-built information in conformance with the requirements of this bylaw and associated regulations:
A. 
Multifamily residential developments involving four or more units.
B. 
Any new commercial, industrial, and/or institutional structures with at least 5,000 square feet of gross floor area, 10,000 square feet of impervious surface, or that require 10 or more parking spaces.
C. 
Redevelopment or additions to existing commercial, industrial, and/or institutional uses that result in an additional impervious surface area or gross floor area of greater than 5,000 square feet, or that result in an increase of 10 or more parking spaces.
D. 
Construction of subdivisions and/or construction activities of any kind disturbing greater than 40,000 square feet.
E. 
Development or redevelopment involving multiple separate construction activities in discontinuous locations or on different schedules if the activities are part of a larger common plan of development that all together disturbs greater than 40,000 square feet.
The following activities may be exempt from the requirements for submittal and approval of a stormwater management permit, but must meet the stormwater management and erosion and sediment control performance standards as described in the associated regulations:
A. 
Any agricultural activity that is consistent with an approved soil conservation plan prepared or approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
B. 
Any logging that is consistent with a forest cutting plan approved under the Forest Cutting Practices Act[1] by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation;
[1]
Editor's Note: See MGL c. 132, §§ 40 through 46.
C. 
Additions or modifications to existing single-family structures that do not disturb more than 40,000 square feet of land;
D. 
Developments, other than a single-family dwelling, where "approval is not required," that do not disturb more than 40,000 square feet of land, provided that they are not part of a larger common development plan;
E. 
Repairs to any stormwater treatment system deemed necessary by the Southampton Planning Board or Highway Department;
F. 
Any emergency activity that is immediately necessary for the protection of life, property or the environment, as determined by the Southampton Planning Board or Highway Department; and
G. 
Activities that are exclusively limited to maintenance and improvement of existing sidewalks and roadways (including widening less than a single lane, adding shoulders, correcting substandard intersections with such elements as turning lanes, improving existing drainage systems, and repaving projects). Note that roadway widening or improvements that increase the amount of impervious area on the redevelopment site by greater than or equal to a single lane width are subject to the requirements of this bylaw.
A. 
As the Stormwater Authority, the Planning Board will review all applications for a stormwater management permit under this bylaw. Upon receipt of a complete application package at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Board, the Board shall transmit one copy of the completed application package to the Highway Department for review and comment and file one copy of the completed application package in the office of the Town Clerk. The date of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board at which the completed application package is accepted shall become the date of receipt and the start date for all deadlines for action by the Board as set forth herein.
(1) 
Public hearing.
(a) 
The Planning Board shall, within 21 days of receipt of a complete application for a stormwater management permit, hold a public hearing on the matter to allow comment from abutters, other boards and commissions and staff. The Board shall take final action on the application within 65 days of the receipt of the complete application unless the time for action is extended by mutual written consent of the applicant and the Planning Board. Notice of the public hearing shall be given by publication in a newspaper of local circulation, by posting at the office of the Town Clerk, and by first-class mailings to abutters at least seven days prior to the initial public hearing. The application and the erosion and sediment control plan shall be made available for inspection by the public during normal business hours at the office of the Planning Board and the office of the Town Clerk.
(b) 
The applicant shall submit any additional information in response to all reasonable requests of the Stormwater Authority and/or any duly authorized representatives of the Stormwater Authority.
(2) 
Project changes. The permittee, or their agent, must notify the Stormwater Authority in writing of any change or alteration of a land disturbance or construction activity authorized in a stormwater management permit before any change or alteration occurs. If the Board determines that the change or alteration is significant, the Board may require that an amended application be filed and a new public hearing held. If any change or alteration from the stormwater management permit occurs during any land disturbing activities, the Board may require the installation of interim erosion and sedimentation control measures before approving the change or alteration as part of a formal application process.
B. 
The Planning Board may adopt and periodically amend rules and regulations relating to the procedures, standards, and administration of this Stormwater Management Bylaw, by majority vote of the Planning Board, after conducting a public hearing to receive comments on any proposed revisions. Such hearing date shall be advertised in a newspaper of general local circulation at least seven days prior to the hearing date.
C. 
The Planning Board may waive strict compliance with any or all of the requirements of this bylaw for a project that will, in its judgment, generate minimal stormwater runoff and erosion and sedimentation, have minimal impact on the municipal stormwater system and nearby surface waters, and if such action is allowed by federal, state, and local statutes, bylaws, and/or regulations; is in the public interest; and is consistent with the purposes of this bylaw.
D. 
The Planning Board's action, rendered in writing, may consist of any of the following as a result of an application for a stormwater management permit: approval; approval subject to conditions; disapproval.
E. 
The Planning Board may establish a permit review fee schedule, based on the type and complexity of projects, and may update this fee schedule as needed, to cover the costs of permit administration for stormwater management permits. The Stormwater Authority may require the applicant to pay reasonable costs to be incurred by the Stormwater Authority for the employment of outside consultants pursuant to Stormwater Authority regulations and as authorized by MGL c. 44, § 53G.
[Amended 5-9-2023 ATM by Art. 31]
F. 
This bylaw is intended to integrate with other parts of the Town's land use bylaws and regulations and not replace any other such requirements.
A. 
Violations. Any construction activity that has commenced or is conducted contrary to this bylaw may be restrained by injunction or otherwise abated in a manner provided by law.
B. 
Notice of violation. When the Southampton Planning Board determines that an activity is not being carried out in accordance with the requirements of this bylaw or associated regulations, it shall issue a written notice of violation to the owner of the property. The notice of violation shall contain:
(1) 
The name and address of the owner applicant.
(2) 
The address when available or the description of the building, structure, or land upon which the violation is occurring.
(3) 
A statement specifying the nature of the violation.
(4) 
A description of the remedial measures necessary to bring the site into compliance with this bylaw and a time schedule for the completion of such remedial action.
(5) 
A statement of the penalty or penalties that shall or may be assessed against the person to whom the notice of violation is directed.
(6) 
If the Highway Department, Stormwater Authority, or its authorized agent determines that abatement or remediation of adverse impacts is required, the order shall set forth a deadline by which such abatement or remediation must be completed. Said order shall further provide that, should the violator or property owner fail to abate or perform remediation within the specified deadline, the Town may, at its option, pursue a court order allowing the Town to undertake such work, and expenses thereof shall be charged to the violator.
(7) 
If the Highway Department or Stormwater Authority takes action upon failure of the violator or owner to abate or remediate, notice shall be given to the violator and owner of the costs, including administrative costs, incurred by the Town. Said notice shall be sent within 30 days of completion of all measures necessary to abate the violation or to perform remediation. The violator or owner shall also be notified that they may, within 30 days of receipt of said notice, file an appeal in writing to the Select Board objecting to either the amount or basis of the costs incurred. If the amount due is not received by the expiration of the time in which to file an appeal or within 30 days following a decision by the Select Board affirming or reducing the costs, or from a final decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, the costs shall become a special assessment against the property owner and shall constitute a lien on the owner's property for the amount of said costs. Interest shall begin to accrue on any unpaid costs at the statutory rate provided by MGL c. 59, § 57, after the 31st day at which the costs first become due.
C. 
Stop-work orders. Persons receiving a notice of violation will be required to halt all construction activities. This stop-work order will be in effect until the Southampton Planning Board confirms that the development activity is in compliance and the violation has been satisfactorily addressed. Failure to address a notice of violation in a timely manner can result in civil or monetary penalties in accordance with the enforcement measures authorized in this bylaw. The Southampton Planning Board may utilize the services of a Massachusetts registered engineer to verify compliance at the applicant's expense.
D. 
Noncriminal disposition. The Town of Southampton may elect to utilize the noncriminal disposition procedure set forth in Chapter 203, Noncriminal Disposition, of the General Bylaws. The Planning Board or its designee shall be the enforcing entity and the penalty shall be as provided in Chapter 203, Noncriminal Disposition. Each day or part thereof that such violation occurs or continues shall constitute a separate offense.
[Amended 5-9-2023 ATM by Art. 31]
E. 
Appeals. Unless otherwise stated herein, the decisions or orders of the Stormwater Authority shall be final. Further relief shall be appealed to a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Stormwater Authority may require the applicant to post surety before the start of land disturbance or construction activity. The form of the surety shall be approved by Town Counsel and be in an amount deemed sufficient by the Stormwater Authority to ensure that the work will be completed in accordance with the permit. If the project is phased, the Board may release part of the surety as each phase is completed in compliance with the permit, but the surety may not be fully released until the Board has received the final report as required by § 227-8 and the permittee is issued a certificate of completion. If the permittee defaults on any obligations imposed by the stormwater management permit, the Stormwater Authority may (after providing written notification to the permittee) inform the holder of the surety (and the Municipal Treasurer/Collector if the Treasurer/Collector is not holding the funds) of the default, in which event the Town shall be entitled to use the surety funds to bring the site into compliance with the stormwater management permit.
Upon completion of the work and no later than 180 days after completion of construction, the permittee shall submit a report (including certified as-built construction plans) from a registered professional engineer (PE) certifying that the project has been completed in accordance with the conditions of the stormwater management permit and the plans approved thereunder. The as-built drawings must depict all on-site controls, both structural and nonstructural, designed to manage the stormwater associated with the completed site (post-construction stormwater management). Any discrepancies with the approved permit plans shall be noted in the cover letter submitted with the report and as-built plans.
The Board shall issue a letter certifying completion of a project following receipt and review of a final report and as-built plan showing that all work allowed under the permit has been satisfactorily completed in conformance with this bylaw and any regulations enacted hereunder.
The provisions of this bylaw are hereby declared to be severable. If any provision, paragraph, sentence, or clause of this bylaw or the application thereof to any person, establishment, or circumstances shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other provisions or application of this bylaw.