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Office of Environmental Compliance (OEC)

Construction Site

The Office of Environmental Compliance (OEC) was established within the City of Rochester's Division of Environmental Quality to ensure that the City is in compliance with its outside environmental regulatory and legal requirements as well as internal policies and procedures.  The core mission of the OEC is maintaining the highest level of responsible hazardous waste management, resource conservation, and storm water pollution control and prevention.

The OEC provides technical assistance to facility managers in order to minimize the potential for adversely affecting the environment, and to mitigate the potential for violating laws and regulations, which could result in citations or fines.  The EOC also identifies possible areas where procedural improvements are needed, and effectively communicates the City’s key ethical principles and regulatory updates to other City Departments as needed.

The following are some of the primary duties of the OEC:

 

Site Plan and Institutional Controls Review
  • Maintains the City’s Engineering and Institutional Controls database and public facing web page identifying properties subject to use restrictions.
  • Conducts property reviews for historic uses, State and federal database listings, and spill or incident histories to determine if special materials management practices or site use restrictions are needed.
  • Refers property owners, developers or permit applicants at properties subject to NYSDEC Environmental Easements and City Activities Use Limitations to the appropriate State or local agencies for plan review and approval.
  • Facilitates completion and reviews the findings of Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments at strategic development sites to identify the nature and extent of any adverse impacts to soil, groundwater or soil vapor.
  • Project Development, Design and Construction Review
  • Reviews project design and construction bid specifications and provides language identifying the roles and responsibilities of City managers, consultants and contractors to ensure adherence to applicable regulations and proper management of regulated wastes.
  • Develops project specific guidance documents as needed for the on and off-site management of project-generated wastes.
 
Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer System (MS4) Administration
Storm Drain
  • Represents the City as one of the 29 municipal members of the Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County working together to meet State and federal stormwater regulations.
  • Acts as administrator for the City as the MS4 permit holder and meets the minimum control measure obligations as prescribed by the permit.
  • Conducts annual and 3-year inspections of City owned facilities and properties where post-construction stormwater management practices are present.
 
Chemical and Petroleum Bulk Storage Compliance
  • Maintains compliance with applicable regulations for City facilities with above and below ground, chemical and/ or petroleum bulk storage tanks.
  • Maintains and updates Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plans as needed and conducts required annual training for facility personnel.
 
Hazardous Building Materials Maintenance, Testing, and Abatement
  • Maintains and updates the Asbestos Containing Materials Management Plan, which identifies and quantifies known and suspect ACM at City facilities.
  • Facilitates material and indoor air quality testing and abatement at municipal buildings.
 
Regulated and Hazardous Waste Management and Spills
  • Responds to incidents of abandoned wastes in City Right-of-Way, vacant or tax delinquent properties or instances potentially dangerous to the public or the environment.
  • Responds to chemical and petroleum spills and facilitates containment or remediation directly or through the NYSDEC Spills Program.
  • Identifies and characterizes waste streams generated by the City and facilitates proper waste profile sampling, reuse, recycling or off-site disposal of wastes.
  • Prepares NYSDEC Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) applications for waste materials generated at City projects.

 

Contact Us

For additional information, contact Ms. Jane Forbes at 585-428-7892, or e-mail her at Jane.Forbes@CityofRochester.Gov.

 

Additional Resources