Among the greatest challenges for stormwater management organizations is their need to finance new infrastructure to comply with Clean Water Act requirements while also keeping service fees on ratepayers reasonable. Lacking a robust understanding of their community’s financial capability, or their ability to pay stormwater fees and other utility related bills without causing undue financial […]
Grand Valley Drainage District (GVDD; Grand Junction, Colo.) has come up with an unconventional approach to get the word out to students about its work within the Colorado River watershed. If public, private, or charter schools show students a 3-minute video outlining the history, activities, and purpose of the GVDD, those schools will be reimbursed […]
On Sept. 15, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) is authorized to manage stormwater and can impose a fee for that purpose. “This is a great victory for the region,” said Darnell Brown, NEORSD’s Board of Trustees president. “Stormwater is causing damage and inter-community flooding problems, and we […]
The California Supreme Court has granted a petition from the California Building Industry Association to review a state appeals court ruling that total fees collected from waste discharges must match the costs of regulating the entire waste-discharge permit program, rather than matching stormwater fees to the costs of the stormwater program. Currently, permit fees paid […]
Avoiding the pitfalls in setting stormwater utility fees while getting stakeholder support
A new statewide poll in Maryland, released March 13 by The Clean Water, Healthy Families Coalition, finds that inaccurate perceptions and continued misinformation have greatly enhanced opposition to that state’s stormwater fee. Opponents of the fee have labeled it a “rain tax,” and poll results show that this negative framing has swayed public attitudes. For […]
On March 6, Maryland’s House Environment and Transportation Committee sunk several bills aimed at lifting state stormwater fees. Under a 2012 mandate, the state’s 10 most populous jurisdictions, which include Phase I municipal separate storm sewer system communities, are required to charge a fee to pay for their stormwater management programs. Under this law, jurisdictions […]
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recently released a white paper titled Navigating Litigation Floodwaters: Legal Considerations for Funding Municipal Stormwater Programs, which provides analysis on the types of legal issues affecting stormwater funding programs. In the absence of a federal rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has turned its focus to strengthening […]
In November, Colorado Springs, Colo., voters rejected a 20-year plan to create a regional stormwater authority and its associated fees. This has raised questions about how the city will pay for promised flood control projects and stormwater permit requirements. In late November, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District Board voted to issue a letter […]
Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan (R) has said he wants to repeal a state law requiring stormwater fees in Baltimore and 10 of the state’s other most populous counties. The law, passed by outgoing Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), is intended to help fund programs managing stormwater, improving local watersheds, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Hogan, however, […]
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