These fees are assessed to all properties within the service area, or in some cases, all properties within a community. The municipality assumes some level of regulatory over sight, which may include local permits, inspections and enforcement. Non-source point pollution is influenced significantly by the amount of impervious surfaces, the location of these impervious surfaces to sensitive areas, the types of land uses within a particular water shed area, and how lands are used and managed. Revisions to land use patterns and regulations can contribute significantly to improving water quality. A few examples could include reducing lot coverage, restricting certain land uses in environmentally sensitive areas based upon stormwater management versus zoning, requiring all buildings to have roof drain systems that discharge into sub-surface disposal structures, banning the use of certain pesticides and fertilizers, and increasing setbacks to produce expanded vegetative barriers for increased treatment.
Vegetative barriers provide excellent treatment of stormwater as it runs off impervious surfaces.
In a sub-division, a 25' vegetative barrier would likely be required to achieve proper treatment. Current zoning regulations provide for a minimum 15' sideline set back. Some communities have established specific performance standards for stormwater treatment. Recognizing that these standards can be difficult to meet under some circumstances, developers are allowed to provide stormwater treatment off-site where an existing problems exists, that can be more easily addressed. In an area where non-source point pollution may be more attributable to existing development versus proposed, this approach could be effective.