The Williston City Commission adopted the first reading of a storm water discharge ordinance for the city at its Tuesday meeting.

The law spells out what allowable non-storm water is, how the city engineer or building inspector is the enforcement officer, what an illicit connection is, and what an illicit discharge is.

Its purpose is to prevent pollutants and hazardous items from entering the city's storm water sewer system.

The ordinance is required to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit. That permit is administered through the North Dakota Health Department, and under guidelines set, Williston is required to be permitted in the program.

It defines that those engaging in land disturbing activity within the city must obtain an erosion and sediment control permit. Grading and erosion plans also must be submitted. One condition of the permit is to adopt a construction site erosion and sediment control ordinance. Its purpose is to safeguard persons, protect property and protect the environment in the city of Williston.

In the post-construction segment of the ordinance, it says the purpose of the ordinance is to protect and safeguard the general health, safety and welfare of the public within the city of Williston's jurisdiction. It states its objectives are to:

Minimize increases in storm water runoff from development within city limits and extraterritorial area in order to reduce flooding, siltation and streambank erosion, and to maintain the integrity of the stream channels.

Minimize increases in non-point source pollution caused by storm water runoff from development which would otherwise degrade local water quality.

Minimize the total annual volume of surface water runoff which flows from any specific development site.

Reduce storm water rates and volume.

In a separate matter, the board gave Williston Fire Chief Alan Hanson the nod to update the Fire Hall's cooling and heating controls. MonDak Plumbing and Heating was chosen to do the repairs for $19,500.

"Our boiler system is still good. It's 26 years old, but it's still in very good shape," said Hanson. "It just needs to be managed properly. It's got the original system that are air control panels. They are not effective. They are not controlling properly. In one room you're freezing to death, and in the next you're boiling."

He added that the control system is not working properly. Hanson advised a digital system would give them that control.

"It also affects some of the air handling systems that are down in the apparatus bags that are designed to bring in heated air, and exhaust bad air," he said. He said part of the problem is multiple vendors have been used over the years to piecemeal the repairs.