Ridgefield business owners, home owners associations and developers can expect more inspections from the city in the coming years.
Because Ridgefield has grown beyond 10,000 residents as of the 2020 census, the city is required by the Department of Ecology to update its stormwater code under the municipal discharge permit. This permit is a state-mandated framework for larger cities to implement tighter regulations and commit to more frequent inspections. This will ensure water runoff will not carry pollutants into Ridgefield’s waterways.
In a Thursday, June 11, City Council meeting, Ridgefield utilities manager Ryan Thamert explained city staff will increase inspections of the city’s more than 2,000 stormwater catch basins and commit to more street sweeping ahead of Ridgefield’s stormwater code updates.
Next year, Ridgefield’s Public Works Department will draft a code, aimed to be completed before 2026, to primarily regulate and inspect stormwater facilities owned by businesses and HOAs.. Additionally, staff will establish authority to conduct mandatory “source control” inspections aimed primarily at businesses.
“A source control inspection is looking at how businesses are handling their cleaning operations and how they’re handling their waste,” Thamert said. “What are they doing when they mop their floors and they have soaps and detergents? … How are they handling carpet cleaning, rugs and mats? Are they doing it outside, right over a catch basin, or are they capturing that water and sending it to the sewer?”
In late June, the city closed one of its three downtown off-street parking lots to conduct stormwater treatment, which will last until early 2025. According to a news release from the city, a liquid solvent chemical used in dry cleaning was released into the soil and groundwater during operations of a former laundromat, which operated from 1965 to 1977. The site, which has since been used for parking, has been unavailable for development due to groundwater pollution. The new business inspections, which will be drafted into city code next year, will ensure polluted water does not go into a stormwater catch basin.
During the briefing, Councilor Jennifer Lindsay asked if the team had a plan in place for non-commercial car washes. Thamert confirmed driveway car washes do pollute groundwater but said the city does not have the means to enforce action. The team leans toward educating the public against washing their cars in their driveways.
“We don’t have a formal plan yet, but we have had internal discussions to encourage using the commercial car washes,” Thamert said.
In addition to its code updates, Ridgefield’s Public Works Department will draft a code in 2026 to create a “stormwater manual” for developers. Among the code updates, large construction projects will be divided into phases to minimize soil instability near stormwater facilities. Additionally, new developments must include stormwater ponds with increased capacity for containing stormwater runoff.
“[Stormwater] facilities are going to be larger, or there’s going to have to be more of them,” Thamert said.
The new regulations will be set in place to minimize environmental impacts. Developers will be required to install erosion controls, including silt tarps, and to leave trees and plants in place where possible. Although the regulations increase the scope of work, City Manager Steve Stuart explained that developers should be prepared, as cities larger than Ridgefield have already implemented similar codes.
“We are one of the last in Clark County that is subject to them,” Stuart said. “Our contractors and developers have been working under these requirements for 10-plus years…”
The city of Ridgefield will upload a webpage with more information on its stormwater plan later this year.
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