ST. PAUL, MINN — The Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association drafted a new Maintenance Agreement for use by state and local government agencies in setting an ordinance requiring the maintenance of all stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs). Stormwater BMPs are practices, whether land-based, proprietary or natural, that provide a level of treatment and/or storage to improve the water quality of the watershed. These practices in one form or another are installed on every project. Like a car, these practices require routine inspection and maintenance.

The sample Operation and Maintenance Agreement includes templates for inspection checklists for each type of BMP, including water quality buffers. The inspection checklists can also serve as an inspection report for each facility. As noted above, inspection priorities and schedules for each BMP type must be submitted to the designated authority when required by the owner or municipality, as a component of the long-term maintenance plan for the site. These templates are general guidelines and may be modified by the design engineer or plan designer as needed for site-specific conditions

A copy of this document can be found on the front page of the www.stormwaterassociation.com website under the “Spotlight” section.