Less than two weeks after his appointment, Salisbury Township’s first MS4 coordinator was already getting praise from the township’s Environmental Advisory Council.

Sandy Nicolo, Salisbury Township assistant zoning officer and code enforcement officer, was appointed MS4 coordinator by township commissioners at the Oct. 8 township meeting.

“There’s a huge difference in my confidence before Sandy [Nicolo] and after Sandy,” EAC Chairperson Kreg Ulery said.

“A week ago we didn’t know that Sandy [Nicolo] was on the job, and now that he is that has allayed a lot of our fears,” EAC Vice Chairperson Glenn Miller said.

“I personally think

“He’s going to do a great job of it,” Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer, of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., said of Nicolo, adding, “We are here to support him.”

Tettemer presented an update at the Oct. 21 EAC meeting of MS4 work done by Keystone for the past six months. Tettemer said he gave Nicolo “a lot of information pertaining to MS4 that we’ve compiled.”

MS4 is an acronym for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, with the “M” standing for “Municipal” and the numeral “4” representing the four “S” first letters of each word in “Separate Storm Sewer System.”

MS4 Storm Water Management Program Protocol requires Minimum Control Measures to enforce the MS4 program, mandated by United States Environmental Protection Agency and enforced in the Commonwealth by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Municipalities are required to fulfill six MCMs: 1. Public Education, 2. Public Participation, 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, 4. Construction Site Runoff Control, 5. Post-Construction Storm Water Management and 6. Pollution Prevention for Municipal Operations and Maintenance.

Nicolo is tasked to address all MCMs, but specifically Numbers 3 through 6.

The EAC is tasked by township commissioners to implement the first two of the six MCMs.

Miller asked Nicolo what percentage of his work week he expects to devote to MS4.

“I would probably be able to set aside two days a week,” Nicolo replied, adding, “As complaints come in, I get on these right away.”

Township Commissioner Vice President, Debra Brinton, who attended the Oct. 21 EAC meeting and EAC members Miller and Jane Benning asked Tettemer if the township is in MS4 compliance.

“Yes,” Tettemer said.

“Basically, it’s moving forward pretty much as planned,” Tettemer said of the township MS4 program. “With 2015 as the starting point, you can continue to submit to the DEP at the end of 2016,” Tettemer said.

Salisbury provided sufficient information and has met conditions of the Administrative Order and Section 308 Requirement for Information of the Clean Water Act issued May 29, 2014, according to an EPA letter received by the township April 14. The township’s five-year NPDES permit, issued in 2014, is good until 2019.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, a municipality must have a MS4 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit to cover stormwater discharges and to maintain compliance with the permit.

Salisbury Township, along with other Lehigh Valley municipalities, received notice June 25, 2014, of a 30-day deadline to provide the EPA with evidence of MS4 compliance.

Tettemer said 30 different inflows and outflows have been mapped. Tettemer said that, for example, if there’s an oil spill and it flowed into an inlet, that inlet would be identified and a report would be made.

“It’s the township’s responsibility to document the spill and who did what,” Tettemer said.

“The forms are there and the chain of command is set up,” Nicolo emphasized. “I’m also looking into buying inlet protection,” Nicolo said.

“I will be in touch with everyone [township officials] to see what needs to be done,” Nicolo said.

“I think that we, as a township, are moving forward,” Brinton said, adding to EAC members, “I want to thank all of you for what you’ve done.

”We now have a coordinator on board. I believe we’re in compliance. And we’re on the right track to where we need to be,” Brinton said.

“I think we should also acknowledge the work of Keystone,” Miller said.

The EAC next meets 7 p.m. Nov. 18 in the municipal building meeting room.