The Town is proposing a new bylaw that will regulate illicit connections that discharge to the Town's stormwater collection system. Residents will be able to vote on the proposed bylaw at the May 2010 Annual Town Meeting. Click here to view the bylaw.

The Planning Board adopted Low Impact Development Guidelines on February 10, 2010. Please visit www.topsfield-ma.gov to view the guidelines.

The Town's stormwater regulations are split into two parts. The Stormwater Management & Erosion Control Bylaw gives the Town the legal authority to regulate stormwater and erosion. Certain boards already have this authority but have limited jurisdiction, an example being the Conservation Commission. The bylaw allows for the regulation of projects that disturb more than 7,500 square feet on slopes less than 15 percent or 4,000 square feet on slopes of greater than 15 percent.. The Regulations are more detail oriented than the bylaw and will determine the specifics of how the bylaw is implemented.

The Town is considering ways to incorporate low impact development guidelines into our land use regulations. The Metropolitain Area Planning Council has developed nine fact sheets describing the most common low impact development components. The sheets are available in pdf format or at the MAPC's website.

• Bioretention Areas
• Cisterns and Rainbarrels
• Grass Filter Strips
• Green Roofs
• Permeable Paving
• Better Site Design Practices
• Infiltration Trenches and Dry Wells
• Vegetated Swales