Legislation to improve the quality of life was approved and is under consideration in Salisbury Township.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners at its Aug. 12 meeting voted unanimously 5-0 to approve an ordinance to amend the grading and development ordinance.

Also, Salisbury commissioners reviewed and discussed an updated noise ordinance and a dumping littering ordinance during the Aug. 12 meeting workshop.

The noise ordinance and the dumping ordinance may be on the agenda for an up-or-down vote at the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners’ next scheduled meeting, 7 p.m. Aug. 26 in the township municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

A copy of the 16-page grading ordinance is available for reading and printout on the township website under the Aug. 12 meeting agenda.

The first six pages of the ordinance include terms and definitions.

The list of regulated activities begins on page 7.

Other chapter titles of the ordinance include: submission standards, plan requirements, review standards, inspections, improvement agreements and violations, which includes fines.

Salisbury Township Assistant Manager Sandy Nicolo told a reporter for The Press concerning the new grading ordinance, “It’s going to allow us to look at more of the work at sites in order to coordinate it with other departments.

“We’ll be able to better assess water runoff and impervious coverage. We’ll have better erosion and sediment controls to make sure the sites are protected from any polluted water runoff,” Nicolo continued.

“This will all be through the community development department. We’re central to everything that’s being done in permitting and all site work.”

Nicolo said he will be coordinating with the public works department and the township engineer.

“It keeps us all on the same page,” Nicolo said.

“With the erosion and sediment controls, it’s a component of MS4.”

According to the Penn State Extension website: “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System [MS4] refers to a collection of structures designed to gather stormwater and discharge it into local streams and rivers.

“Urbanized Areas [UA] are required to become part of the MS4 program,” the website states. “UAs contain plenty of commercial and residential development which produces large amounts of stormwater runoff.”

The program is managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency has oversight.

“Before any excavation can begin on a permitted project, there would have to be an erosion and sediment control inspection by Keystone [Salisbury consulting engineering firm],” Nicolo said.

“That’s not every excavation. It’s excavations that we determine are subject to runoff from the site,” Nicolo said.

Before the vote at the meeting, several residents objected to the ordinance, characterizing it as “pro-development.”

The nine-page draft of the updated noise ordinance is intended to provide “for greater control and more effective regulations regarding excessive sound” in the township.

The noise ordinance contains two pages of definitions.

“It’s much more comprehensive. There are a lot more categories,” Nicolo said.

Beginning on page 3, listings include: prohibited acts, fireworks (consumer and non-consumer), powered model vehicles, motor vehicle prohibitions, construction, emergency signaling devices, exceptions, regulations, enforcement and fines and penalties.

Fines can range from $100 to $1,000.

The four-page draft of the dumping and littering ordinance “attempts to stop pollution and hold individuals that litter and dump waste in the township responsible.”

The dumping ordinance contains one page of definitions.

Fines for littering can range from $300 to $1,000.

Fines for dumping can range from $1,000 to $5,000.