Protect Your HOA From Stormwater Penalties
If you manage or serve on the board of a homeowners association, you have a lot on your plate, from property and facilities maintenance to administrative tasks and addressing resident concerns. Prioritizing can be difficult when seemingly everything demands your attention, but stormwater pond management cannot fall off your priority list. Neglecting to properly manage these important structures could lead to regulatory violations, fines, and costly equipment damage.
We understand that you’re stretched thin. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive outline of the most common stormwater pond violations among HOAs and expert tips to help ensure you pass your next stormwater pond inspection.
What Is A Stormwater Pond?
Many property managers find themselves responsible for stormwater ponds without fully understanding what they are or why they matter. Most focus on cosmetic concerns like fountain spray patterns or keeping algae and weeds at bay. These are important things that residents care about and that help make a community look welcoming to new members, but aesthetics aren’t the primary purpose.
These systems are designed to prevent flooding by capturing and filtering stormwater during rainstorms and then safely diverting it downstream. Stormwater ponds may be composed of many different components, including inflows, outflows, forebays, dams, and emergency spillways.
What Do Inspections Focus On?
Depending on the regulatory body, HOAs may or may not be given notice ahead of an inspection. Inspectors are there to assess if a stormwater pond is in proper working order. Fines typically come into play when structural damage poses immediate flooding threats and/or when required repairs are delayed or ignored. Fines can vary from $50–$100 per day to several thousand dollars per day, depending on the particular violation and municipality.
What Are HOAs Responsible For?
HOAs are responsible for ensuring their stormwater systems function as originally designed. However, in most cases, property managers don’t have access to the “as-built” plans, either because they weren’t transferred by the community developers or they were lost over time. Even when plans exist, reading them isn’t intuitive.
The Following Are Some Of The Most Common Problem Areas That Put HOAs At Risk Of Violations.
Sediment Build-Up:
Eroded sediment tends to build up around inflows and outflows, and limit a pond’s capacity to hold water. During storms, this could result in flooding that endangers residents, damages surrounding infrastructure, and further destabilizes the shoreline.
Tree Growth:
This is one of the most common issues inspectors look for. Small inconspicuous saplings eventually become larger trees. If a tree falls on a stormwater pond dam during a storm, it can cause significant damage and result in flooding.
Blocked Inlets:
Items like plastic bags, trash, lawn debris, sticks, and aquatic weeds often get caught in inlet structures, preventing stormwater from flowing properly.
Rock Placement:
Large rocks are often placed around outflows to slow water and prevent erosion. Inspectors keep an eye out for areas where rocks are missing or displaced.
Pipe Separation:
Over time, pipes made of concrete or corrugated metal can separate if the ground shifts, leading to dangerous bank collapses.
Animal Activity:
Rodents like nutria and muskrats burrow into pond banks. Their tunnel systems can weaken the structural integrity of the shoreline.
Stormwater Lake & Pond Facilities Need Proactive Maintenance
A proactive mindset can help your community avoid these situations. Working with a pond management partner can provide peace of mind that stormwater pond issues are identified and addressed before your next inspection. For example, removing small trees from a dam or hydro-raking organic build-up is far cheaper than repairing a collapsed shoreline or dredging a pond that’s filled in—projects that can cost upward of a million dollars and typically take decades to budget for.
How Can Your HOA Prepare For Inspections?
Inspections are guaranteed sooner or later, and they often uncover stormwater pond issues that need quick action. Regulators may give as little as 30 days to make repairs—would your budget be ready to cover those unexpected costs?
Integrated Solutions for HOA Stormwater Compliance
Experienced Aquatic Experts understand local regulatory requirements, which can vary between states and municipalities. They’re also trained in properly interpreting as-built stormwater pond design plans and can help you access certified copies if you don’t have them on hand.
You juggle enough responsibilities already. We’ll help make stormwater pond management one less thing to worry about. Contact our Aquatic Experts to discover the benefits of an integrated annual pond management program.
Maintain A Safe, Healthy Waterbody
SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty and preserve natural resources.
SOLitude’s team of aquatic scientists specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs. Services include water quality testing and restoration, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, shoreline erosion control, muck and sediment removal and invasive species management. SOLitude partners with homeowners associations, golf courses, private landowners, businesses and municipalities. SOLitude Lake Management is part of Rentokil Terminix, a leading business services company, operating across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
For more information, visit SOLitude Lake Management at solitudelakemanagement.com, and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
