On Nov. 15, the El Paso County Board of Commissioners heard points from the Colorado Department of Transportation regarding the adoption of the city of Colorado Springs’ Drainage Criteria Manual, Volume 2. The Engineering Criteria Manual (formerly the Subdivision Criteria Manual), a reference to assist with county infrastructure, now adopts the standards and policies regarding the protection of surface-water quality during construction.Prior to the hearing, the manual only applied to the city of Colorado Springs. Due to the importance of surface water as a commodity in El Paso County, the department of transportation stressed to the commissioners the importance to the entire county of adopting the manual’s standards and policies. The premise of the city’s manual has been revised to consider the needs of unincorporated areas, and is compiled in Chapter 3 of the Engineering Criteria Manual.Adoption of the manual, Volume 2, is also a requirement of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit that was awarded to El Paso County through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The permit is required by the federal Clean Water Act to protect water from pollutants that run into storm drains, streams or lakes, according to a county press release.The purpose of the adoption of this manual is to establish policies to protect surface-water quality in the county “by reducing the exposure of storm water runoff to contaminants.” The executive summary of the county commissioner’s meeting on Nov. 15 explains how the revised chapter “discusses specific drainage and grading-related criteria for projects that disturb land within the unincorporated areas of the county.” The manual, Volume 2, currently focuses on urban areas, causing the county commissioners to revise it based on the needs of the county’s rural areas.The first volume of the Drainage Criteria Manual applies to both the city and county. It is a reference tool for developers that includes information on the “design of storm drains, drainage channels, road culverts and ponds to control the amount of storm water from rain or melting snow,” according to the press release. The second volume of the manual informs developers of ways to prevent erosion, which causes pollutants to drain into rivers and lakes.Both manuals require developers to request an Erosion and Storm Water Quality Control permit for construction projects that result in a land disturbance of one acre or more. There has been no word yet whether the adoption of these standards in unincorporated areas will result in costs to homeowners.For more information on the Engineering Criteria Manual or the Drainage Criteria Manual, Volume 2, visit www.elpasoco.com.
