For a long period of time, U.S. EPA exempted stormwater from coverage under the Clean Water Act. This was largely due to the fact that EPA had enough on to do in simply regulating discharges from traditional point sources of water pollution.  In 1987, Congress gave EPA the authority to regulate stormwater discharges from "presumptively

Traditionally, EPA has regulated storm water differently than point source discharges.  Regulators recognized that it was easier to install new technology to reduce pollutant loading from a specific industrial process with a specific "end of pipe" discharge point.  Storm water was much more unpredictable.

Therefore, U.S. EPA regulated storm water using general NPDES permits without specific

Hydraulic fracking provides the opportunity to tap into massive natural gas reserves which is located deep beneath the earth.  In Ohio and Pennsylvania, Marcellus and Utica Shale is sedimentary rock which contains huge quantities of natural gas.

Hydraulic fracking uses water injected at high pressure to break up the rock allowing the gas to be released into wells.  The process uses

Northeast Ohio has led the state in the adoption of ordinances that establish setback requirements from streams and wetlands.  Buried within municipal codes is the requirement to stay out of buffer areas surrounding streams and wetlands. 

Homeowners, businesses and developers often learn of these requirements after they go to the City with their designs for

On November 23, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new rules intended to control stormwater pollution from construction sites.  The rule takes effect on February 2010 and will be phased in over four years. 

The most significant new requirement is the imposition of numeric discharge limits from larger construction sites.  In the past, U.S. EPA required construction site owners/operators to