As part of a collaborative effort with the Town of Oxford, Nitsch completed the Year 4 permit requirements for the 2016 Massachusetts Small Municipal Separate Storm System Permit (MS4). We prepared updates to the Lake Phosphorus Control Plan, including establishing a scope area for the Town’s lake and pond watersheds and calculating the baseline loading of phosphorus that runs into these watershed scope areas. These established baselines will be used in subsequent permit years to reduce stormwater phosphorus through BMP implementation to meet the reduction requirements specific to the Town of Oxford.
Nitsch prepared a Nitrogen Source Identification Report for the Town, in compliance with a requirement in the MS4 for any community that has an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) as issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within the Long Island Sound watershed.
The Municipal Property Retrofit analysis was also required by the MS4 year 4 permits. Nitsch evaluated town-owned parcels against several criteria to prioritize stormwater retrofit locations and assigned a score based on how well each criterion would contribute to the success/efficient implementation of a best management practice (BMP) on a town-owned parcel. From these compiled scores, the top five sites were chosen to implement BMPs upon further consideration in the next permit year.
Nitsch also performed a comprehensive regulatory review of the Town’s rules and regulations to make sure that they allow the implementation of low-impact development (LID) techniques. This included reviewing street design and parking lot guidelines that influence the creation of the impervious cover. The recommendations for regulatory change are well-timed as the Town is in the process of updating its Subdivision Rules and Regulations. These recommendations will help decrease the creation of impervious cover and encourage more LID implementation.
Our work has helped the Town maintain MS4 compliance and progress toward a more sustainable and resilient stormwater system.
Key Collaborator
Owner: Town of Oxford
