Stormwater Utility

 Rain-event flooding can be reduced by…

·         increasing storm-sewer capacity and/or

·         detaining rain before it goes down the drain

 Because municipalities face major costs to…

 ·         sever storm sewers from sanitary sewers

·         build new storm sewage infrastructure

·         create bioswales, rain gardens, permeable street paving, etc.

 …some municipalities finance remedies by creating stormwater utilities.

 Stormwater utilities levy a service fee on property owners to fund capacity upgrades  and/or detention infrastructure. 

 Typically, the fee is proportional to the property’s impervious surface:  the more rain the property diverts to the storm sewer, the higher the fee.

 Fees (a) fund remedies and (b) incent property owners to reduce their impact on storm sewers, e.g., by installing a green roof, cistern, permeable patio, etc.

 Considerations for establishing a stormwater utility are detailed in a report by the New England Environmental Finance Center. 

Maine

Six municipalities have created stormwater utilities: Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook — 15% of .Maine’s population.

Connecticut

New London’s stormwater utility – first in state – began operations January 1, 2019.

 New Jersey

Governor Murphy on March 18, 2019 signed bill authorizing creation of county and municipal stormwater utilities.

North Carolina

Impervious surfaces are hard surfaces that do not allow rain to absorb into the ground. The more impervious surfaces, the more stormwater runoff flows from the property into the storm drainage system.​​ — from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services in NC, which has used fees on impervious surfaces for voluntary buyout of flood-prone homes. Article.

Massachusetts

Commonwealth of Massachusetts had 21 stormwater utilities as of the end of 2019.