Union Township supervisors adopt updated stormwater ordinance

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The Union Township Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an updated stormwater management ordinance at its Sept. 10 meeting.

The last stormwater ordinance was adopted in 2010, so solicitor Paul Bametzreider said it was needed to keep up with evolving standards.

“The township’s current stormwater ordinance was way out of date as far as provisions and changes in stormwater management law, so this is needed, and it’s quite significant,” Bametzreider said.

The 2010 ordinance, as available on the township website, included 15 pages. The new ordinance is 104 pages and contains required forms for developers who need to submit stormwater management site plan applications. 

Ordinance 193-2025 has provisions intended to meet legal water quality requirements, as defined by state law, “including regulations at 25 Pa. Code Chapter 93 to protect, maintain, reclaim, and restore the existing and designated uses of the Waters of the Commonwealth.”

Township manager Brent McFeaters said one of the major changes was to align with the Department of Environmental Protection’s regulations regarding water recharge, which it defines as the replenishment of infiltrating groundwater.

“DEP with the regulations with recharge and that kind of stuff, as years go on and requirements change, then every so often you want to update your ordinance,” he said.

The 2025 ordinance outlines specific infiltration rates, as determined by field tests conducted by a professional designer.

It also outlines various best management practices for controlling stormwater runoff. The ordinance divides these into structural and non-structural best management practices. Structural BMPs are engineered systems, while non-structural BMPs are addressed via design.

Union Township’s updated ordinance directs developers to the “Pennsylvania Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual” published by the Department of Environmental Protection. They are required to incorporate methods in the manual, and “green infrastructure and low impact development (LID) practices in said BMP Manual shall be utilized to the maximum extent practicable.”

The ordinance in its entirety is available below.

In other business, supervisors:

• Approved a resolution outlining the township’s updated fee schedule.
• Received two bids of $1,500 for the township’s 2010 Bri Mar trailer. The solicitor recommended that the township contact the bidders to tell them there was a bidding tie to see how they want to move forward.
• Approved the 2026 minimum municipal obligation, which is $29,647.
• Voted to donate $1,500 to the 2026 municipal farmland preservation fund. This is the same amount the township donated in 2025.

The Union Township Board of Supervisors will have its next regular monthly meeting at 3111 PA-72 on Oct. 8, after the 6:30 p.m. sewer meeting.