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It should also be noted that USA is promoting construction of a new style of swale (that <br /> requires little or no maintenance) by placing wetland plants and river rock in the swale <br /> bottom instead of grass, which requires mowing. USA is also changing their design <br /> standards for ponds. They will require a new orifice design which allows the orifice to be <br /> pulled up and out of the pond for maintenance. USA has also been encouraging <br /> developers to plant shrubs and trees around ponds to reduce the mowing area of those <br /> facilities. <br /> USA will maintain public water quality facilities to a base natural level (i.e.,maintain the <br /> facility up to the level that it will function as a treatment facility). However,they will <br /> work with residents to help them design a more park-like facility as long as the amenities <br /> do not interfere with the water quality function of the facility.USA routinely maintains <br /> the public ponds and swales four times per year. <br /> USA estimates that an additional 25-30 facilities will be constructed each year. Under <br /> their NPDES requirements,USA will begin inspecting approximately 800 private <br /> facilities in July of next year. They estimate that they will check each facility once a year. <br /> At this time, they do not anticipate adding additional staff. <br /> The City of Bellevue has an 11-person stormwater maintenance crew that maintains the <br /> conveyance system as well as water quality facilities. The city has 255 residential <br /> detention facilities, 11 regional detention facilities, 120 oil/water separators, and 5 <br /> publicly owned bioswales. On average, all of the water quality facilities are maintained <br /> once a year,with the exception of the three coalescing plate oil water separators that are <br /> maintained four times per year. Although their maintenance program is responsible for <br /> the entire stormwater system,they estimate that approximately 2 %2 FTE out of 11 are <br /> allocated to the maintenance of water quality facilities. <br /> Inspections, Enforcement and Incentives <br /> The successful operation of stormwater facilities is highly dependent on regular <br /> maintenance. It is necessary to regularly inspect all facilities because some owners are <br /> not aware of their maintenance responsibilities or may be negligent in performing routine <br /> maintenance. Jurisdictions may also find the need for enforcement and,in an effort to get <br /> compliance, may offer incentives to facilitate the upkeep of BMPs as discussed below. <br /> Inspections - Most jurisdictions perform inspections annually on private residential, <br /> commercial and public facilities or as defined within agreements,jurisdictional code, or <br /> permits. Agreements between an owner and a jurisdiction typically define inspection and <br /> maintenance responsibilities. Most facilities are inspected for overall proper functioning <br /> and may include a field checklist, inspection report and/or a logbook. Private owners may <br /> be required to maintain a maintenance logbook if there is a warranty period on the facility <br /> or if it is specified in the contract. <br /> Based on the experience of regional jurisdictions (Olympia, Bellevue, King County), an <br /> estimate was made of the number of FTE that would be needed to conduct inspections in <br /> Eugene (see Table 9). <br /> I:\945042ne\task0400\memo8\Stormwater Policy Team Meeting.doc 11 <br />