The Village finds that uncontrolled drainage and runoff associated
with land development activities has a significant impact upon the
health, safety and welfare of the community for the following reasons:
A. Stormwater can carry pollutants into receiving water bodies and degrade
water quality.
B. The increase in nutrients in stormwater runoff accelerates eutrophication
of receiving waters.
C. Improper design and construction of drainage facilities can increase
the velocity of runoff, thereby increasing stream bank erosion.
D. Construction requiring land clearing and the alteration of natural
topography tends to increase erosion.
E. Siltation of water bodies resulting from increased erosion decreases
the capacity of the water bodies to hold and transport water, interferes
with navigation, and harms flora and fauna.
F. Impervious surfaces increase the volume and rate of stormwater runoff
and allow less water to percolate into the soil, thereby decreasing
groundwater recharge and stream base flow.
G. Improperly managed stormwater runoff can increase the incidence of
flooding and the level of floods which occur, endangering property
and human life.
H. Substantial economic loss can result from these adverse impacts on
the waters of the Village.
I. Many problems can be avoided if sound stormwater runoff management
practices are in effect.
The purpose of this article is to protect and safeguard the
general health, safety, welfare of the public residing in or visiting
the Village by preserving and protecting the quality of the ground
and surface waters by the following means:
A. Prevent any increase in stormwater runoff from any development in
order to reduce flooding, siltation and stream bank erosion.
B. Prevent any increase in pollution caused by stormwater runoff from
development which would otherwise degrade the quality of water in
Lake George and its tributaries and render it unfit for human consumption,
interfere with water-based recreation or adversely affect aquatic
life.
C. Prevent any increase in total annual volume of surface water runoff
which flows from any specific site during and following development
above that which prevailed prior to development.
D. Meet the requirements of minimum measures 4 and 5 of the SPDES General
Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Municipal Separate Stormwater
Sewer Systems (MS4s), Permit No. GP-02-02, or as amended or revised.
E. Require land development activities to conform to the substantive
requirements of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) General Permit
for Construction Activities GP-02-01 or as amended or revised.
F. Require the maintenance of any existing stormwater management or
stormwater control measures such as culverts, swales, dry wells, pits
and trenches, or other similar devices, measures and improvements,
and to prohibit any person from damming, rerouting, filling or alteration
of any existing watercourse in the Village.
[Added 8-15-2022 by L.L.
No. 4-2022]
These regulations apply to all building, construction, land
clearing and subdivision of land within the Village both public and
private, except development which is entirely exempt. Required permits
and approvals may be incorporated into the site plan approvals issued
under this chapter.
Except for exempt activities, no person shall build, construct,
erect, expand or enlarge any building or structure, or place or construct
any impervious surface such as pavement, blacktop, macadam, packed
earth or crushed stone without first receiving a stormwater management
permit from the Village.
A. No person shall create a subdivision of land subject to approval
by the Village unless first receiving a stormwater management permit
for all buildings, structures, and impervious surfaces proposed to
be created, except for persons engaged in activities for which required
municipal permits and approvals were issued prior to the effective
date of this chapter.
B. No person or owner of real property shall maintain a condition which,
due to a human disturbance of land, vegetative cover or soil, may
result in the erosion of soil from the site or into any water body.
The Village shall notify a property owner of such condition on his
property and shall afford a reasonable time period to correct any
such condition before a violation shall be deemed to exist.
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
C. Except for exempt activities, no person shall cause or create a land
disturbance greater than 5,000 square feet without first having received
a permit under this chapter.
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
D. No person shall fail to comply with any provision or requirement
of any permit issued pursuant to this chapter.
E. No person shall create a condition of flooding, erosion, siltation
or ponding resulting from failure to maintain previously approved
stormwater control measure where such condition is injurious to the
health, welfare or safety of individuals residing in the Lake George
Park or injurious to any land within the Lake George Park. The Village
shall notify a property owner of such condition on his property and
prescribe measures necessary to reestablish effective performance
of the approved stormwater control measures. The Village shall afford
such property owner a reasonable time period in which to correct any
such condition before a violation is deemed to exist.
F. No person shall build, alter or modify a stormwater control measure
without first receiving a permit from the Village. Such building,
alteration and/or modification does not include the ordinary maintenance,
cleaning and/or repair of stormwater control measures.
G. No person
shall fail to maintain any existing stormwater management or stormwater
control measures such as culverts, swales, dry wells, pits and trenches,
or other similar devices, measures, or improvements, and no person
shall cause, permit or fail to correct any dam, rerouting, filling
or alteration to any existing watercourse located in the Village regardless
of size, flow or intermittency of flowage.
[Added 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
H. No person
shall apply or authorize the application of lawn fertilizers within
50 feet of any water body, except for newly established lawns during
their first growing season or situations in which a reliable soil
test indicates a need for the addition of fertilizer.
[Added 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
I. The following activities are exempt:
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
(1) Emergency repairs to any stormwater control measure and emergency
activity immediately necessary to protect life, property or natural
resources;
(2) Development on a site involving land disturbance and land clearing
of less than 5,000 square feet which does not result in the creation
of new impervious surfaces of more than 1,000 square feet;
(3) Agricultural activity which is consistent with a soil conservation
plan developed in accordance with the New York State Soil and Water
Conservation Committee's "Agricultural Best Management Practice Systems
Catalogue," which plan has been provided to the Village not less than
15 calendar days in advance of any related land disturbance;
(4) Silviculture activity which is consistent with a soil conservation
plan developed in accordance with the NYS Forestry Best Management
Practices for Water Quality and which plan is provided to the Village
not less than 15 calendar days in advance of any related land disturbance;
(5) Residential firewood harvesting that is compliant with Stream Corridor
Management Regulations at 6 NYCRR 646-5 and NYS Forestry Best Management
Practices;
(6) Activities of an individual engaging in home gardening by growing
flowers, vegetables and other plants primarily for use by that person
and his or her family;
(7) Construction of an approved wastewater treatment system;
(8) Maintenance of landscaped areas.
A stormwater permit shall include, at a minimum, provisions
for the maintenance of the site, consistent with the following:
A. During construction.
(1) The project sponsor shall at all times properly operate and maintain
all facilities and systems of treatment and control (related appurtenances)
which are installed or used by project sponsor to achieve compliance
with the conditions of this chapter. Sediment shall be removed from
sediment traps or sediment ponds whenever their design capacity has
been reduced by 50%.
(2) The project sponsor shall have a qualified professional conduct site
inspections and document the effectiveness of all erosion and sediment
control practices every seven days and within 24 hours of any storm
event producing 0.5 inch of precipitation or more. Inspection reports
shall be maintained in site log book.
B. Post construction.
(1) Applicability. Where it is deemed necessary by the Village, prior
to issuance of a permit for any project, the project sponsor shall
provide for arrangements for the future maintenance of stormwater
control measures subject to the approval of the Village. This may
include, but shall not be limited to, the following approval of the
bylaws and/or certificate of incorporation of a transportation corporation
or homeowners' association; posting of a performance bond; placing
of funds on deposit; and a stormwater management maintenance agreement
between the owner(s) of the site and the Village consistent with the
terms and conditions of Schedule E, entitled "Sample Stormwater Control
Facility Maintenance Agreement."
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
(2) Purpose. Stormwater management maintenance arrangements shall be
those necessary to ensure that stormwater control measures are maintained
in working condition throughout the life of the project.
(3) Notice. Notice of the stormwater management maintenance agreement
shall be recorded in the office of County Clerk, or its terms shall
be incorporated into covenants appearing in the deed, declarations
of covenants and restrictions or other such documents, to ensure that
record notice of its terms is provided to future owners of the site.
It shall also be included in the offering plan, if any, for the project.
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
(4) Initial maintenance security. When deemed necessary by the Village,
the project owner(s) or sponsor shall establish a maintenance security
in the form of a bond, letter of credit, escrow account or other acceptable
security, for the purpose of building, rebuilding, maintaining or
repairing the stormwater control facilities. Terms for any maintenance
security shall cover the time period beginning at the commencement
of land disturbance and extend no less than two years following the
approved completion of construction. Longer durations may be required
when deemed necessary.
[Amended 8-15-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
(5) The Village may require entities subject to this chapter to maintain
records demonstrating compliance with this chapter.
(6) The Village may require the submission of as-built plans for any
stormwater control measures.