WATER QUALITY

Stormwater Utilities

An example of a stormdrain/ catch basin on DCR property that has been totally filled in with debris.  The stormwater has nowhere to go, and so the streets flood and eventually drain into parks and waterways.

Stormwater Utility Links An Internet Guide to Financing Stormwater Management.  A comprehensive guide with links to case studies and published articles! Stormwater Managers Resource Center Stormwater Journal articles for creating a stormwater utility.

Overview

NPDES Phase I and II guidelines require municipalities and other agencies to invest monies they most likely do not have to finance stormwater management projects.  Many municipalities in other states such as the cities of Eugene, Oregon and Orlando, Florida have had legitimate success in financing current and future stormwater projects by creating a stormwater utility.  Monies generated from a stormwater utility can help fund administrative costs, replace failing infrastructure, and engineer best management practices to reduce stormwater pollution loads to levels in compliance with state and federal pollution discharge limits.     

What is a Stormwater Utility?

A stormwater utility is "essentially a special assessment district set up to generate funding specifically for stormwater management."  Like other utilities such as water and sewer, the municipality or governing body charges a user fee.  This alone has arrested the creation of some stormwater utilities based on legal concerns over local interpretations of "taxes" versus "fees."  Public campaigns are needed to generate support for the utility and persuade landowners that there is real cost associated with the conveyance and treatment of stormwater runoff from their property and that they are in part financially responsible.  But just how much will the public have to pay?  Some of the more popular rate structures are based on impervious cover assessments within land use and zoning classifications.  Generally speaking, the more impervious cover, the more stormwater runoff generated and the higher the rate the landowner pays.   

To find out more about the creation of stormwater utilities in your area, click on the above links.