14.27.060 Inspection and maintenance of stormwater facilities.
These maintenance standards are intended to give support and guidance to all persons and property owners who must comply with local stormwater management requirements. All privately owned stormwater systems, including flow control and water quality treatment facilities, shall be inspected annually and maintained by the owner at his/her expense. The stormwater system owner shall complete and file an inspection and maintenance form with the city following inspection and maintenance.
A. All parts of the privately owned stormwater systems shall be inspected annually and maintained and/or restored to assure performance as designed and intended. All physical parts of the stormwater system shall be repaired and maintained per the Stormwater Design Manual, Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards, and any guidelines specific to the respective facility.
B. Stormwater system modifications or major repairs must be reviewed and approved by the city of Lacey prior to implementation. This is required to ensure that the intent of the originally approved stormwater system is achieved. The city may require the property owner to submit detailed drawings and/or specifications regarding proposed modifications and/or repairs.
C. A licensed, bonded, and insured contractor must accomplish all maintenance of privately owned stormwater systems except for normal vegetation maintenance of facilities.
D. All state and federal confined space entry regulations and requirements must be followed.
E. All privately owned pipes, catch basins, manholes, inlets, ditches, swales/bioswales, flow control facilities, vaults, water quality facilities, oil/water separators, sedimentation ponds, and stream channels located on (or running through) commercial properties, multi-family developments, private plats, and private short plats shall be inspected annually unless vested under a different frequency of inspection by the city and/or property owner and shall be maintained by the property owner when inspection identifies maintenance needs.
F. Stormwater system maintenance shall be required and performed in accordance with the Stormwater Design Manual or other standards identified by the city within one year for typical maintenance of facilities, within six months for catch basins, and within two years for maintenance that requires capital construction of greater than $25,000.00.
G. Stormwater Maintenance Inspection Procedures.
1. City inspection procedures will be maintained and updated as necessary in the “Private Stormwater Facilities Inspection Program” standard operating procedure within public works operations.
2. Prior to making any inspections on private property that has no dedicated access easements to the city, the inspector shall present identification credentials, state the reason for the inspection, and request entry.
3. If the property or any building or structure on the property is unoccupied the inspector shall first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other person(s) having charge or control of the property or portions of the property and request entry.
4. If, after reasonable effort, the inspector is unable to locate the owner or other person(s) having charge or control of the property and has reason to believe the condition of the stormwater system creates an immediate hazard to persons or property, the inspector may enter the property.
5. Unless entry is consented to by the owner or person(s) in control of the property or portion of the property, the city inspector shall obtain a search warrant prior to entry as authorized by the laws of the State of Washington except where one of the following conditions exists:
a. Conditions are reasonably believed to exist which create imminent hazard; or
b. An access easement to the stormwater facility was dedicated to the city.
6. The inspector may inspect the stormwater system without obtaining a search warrant provided for above, provided the inspection can be conducted while remaining on the public property or other property on which permission to enter is obtained.
H. Inspection and Maintenance Records. Owners of storm drainage systems will be required to provide the city with all existing inspection, maintenance, and repair records, as well as any record drawings or diagrams that they may have for their storm drainage systems when requested. (Ord. 1525 §1 (part), 2017).