Stormwater Utility Frequently Asked Questions
What is the
new Stormwater Service Charge?
The Stormwater Service
Charge is a monthly fee included in the utility bills of all businesses,
residents, institutions, agencies, and organizations located inside the
City of Washington. It is coded as SF. Money collected goes into the city's
Stormwater Utility Fund to pay for improvements to the public drainage
system.
How will
the new Stormwater Service Charge be used?
Initially, revenue
from this fee will pay for improvements to the city-owned components of
public drainage systems in Washington. Many areas of Washington have problems
with flooding from heavy rainfall and/or hurricane storm surges. In some
areas the drainage system is not adequate to handle the flow of stormwater
runoff. Fixing these problems is expensive. For instance, we know that
we have at least $12 million in needs in the Jack's Creek drainage basin
alone, not to mention the other drainage basins in the city, such as Runyon
and Cherry Run creeks.
Future City Councils
have the option of using this fee to pay for drainage system operations
and maintenance as well as construction. In the 2002-2003 city budget,
however, drainage system operation and maintenance expenses are being
funded through property taxes and other local revenue in the city's General
Fund, and drainage system capital improvements are being paid through
the Stormwater Service Charge.
How much
is the new Stormwater Service Charge?
The amount of the
monthly fee varies based on the amount of impervious surface at an address.
Impervious surfaces are hard surfaces, such as roofs, parking lots and
sidewalks. The greater the area of impervious surface on a lot, the higher
the possible volume of stormwater flowing from that lot to ditches, streams
and storm sewers instead of seeping into the ground. The fee is higher
for property with greater impervious surface area since this property
tends to contribute more runoff to public streams and drainage systems.
For residences, the monthly fee will range from $2 to $4 a month, according
to the table below. For nonresidential property, including businesses
and institutions, the monthly fee will range from $10 to $100 a month,
according to the chart below.
|
Residential
| Impervious
Surface |
Monthly
Charge |
| up
to 1,517 sq. ft. |
$2.00 |
| 1,518
to 2,322 sq. ft. |
$3.00 |
| Greater
than 2,322 sq. ft. |
$4.00 |
Nonresidential
| Impervious
Surface |
Monthly
Charge |
| 201
to 600 sq. ft. |
$10.00 |
| 601
to 20,000 sq. ft. |
$20.00 |
| 20,001
to 40,000 sq. ft. |
$40.00 |
| 40,001
to 100,000 sq. ft. |
$50.00 |
| Greater
than 100,000 sq. ft. |
$100.00
|
|
How did the city
determine the amount of impervious surface at a particular location?
Last fall, the city
determined the average amount of hard surface area on residential property
in Washington by physically measuring it on a random sampling of 300 lots
containing single family homes and duplexes from throughout the city.
The average was determined by measuring the perimeters of buildings, driveways,
sidewalks and other hard surfaces. The city also measured actual impervious
surfaces on all 750 multifamily, government, commercial and industrial
sites in the city.
Is Washington
the only city charging a stormwater fee?
No. About a half dozen
cities in North Carolina already charge a stormwater management fee. Like
these other cities, Washington will use revenue from this fee to pay for
stormwater management and compliance with new state and federal regulations.
What do we
need to do to improve Washington's drainage system?
We need to better
manage hurricane storm surges, reduce the frequency and severity of flash
flooding, and meet future state and federal regulations regarding volume
and quality of stormwater runoff.
Hurricane storm surge
is a high tide that comes in with a hurricane. Washington relies on an
earthen berm under Park Drive at Jack's Creek to protect the central part
of the city from normal tidal fluctuations. When a hurricane storm surge
exceeds the height of the berm, about seven feet, then river water inundates
the Jack's Creek basin, causing massive flooding of streets and, sometimes,
homes. The berm now retains the flood water, which the city must pump
out once the river goes down. Recent experience has shown that it can
take at least 12 hours to clear the flood. Major thoroughfares like Third
Street, Market Street, and John Small Avenue can be impassible for hours,
and homes and businesses are further inconvenienced and damaged. While
we can't keep the hurricane storm surge from coming, with improvements
to the drainage system we can get the flood out of the city more quickly.
A factor in flash
flooding that occurs in some areas of Washington after heavy rainfall
is that over time we have put more water into a drainage system than it
originally was designed to handle. While flash flooding always is a possibility,
we can reduce its occurrence by increasing the capacity of the drainage
system and other measures.
In addition to flood-control
issues, the city also faces complying with mandates from the state and
federal governments regarding the amount and quality of stormwater flowing
into the Tar-Pamlico rivers from the city. The NC Environmental Management
Commission recently announced new stormwater control rules for new development
in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin. These rules are in addition to the federal
US Environmental Protection Agency regulations that soon will apply to
cities of Washington's size.
What will
be the first drainage project paid for with the new stormwater fee, and
why?
The first major drainage
project is rebuilding Park Drive at Jack's Creek to speed up drainage
of hurricane storm tide flooding. Engineering is now underway for plans
to place box culverts equipped with floodgates beneath Park Drive and
to increase the size of the culvert under East Main Street at Jack's Creek.
These modifications will allow hurricane storm surge flooding to drain
from the city fairly soon after the river level returns to normal. Because
of grant funding, the Jack's Creek project has been bundled with a second
project to floodproof the city's wastewater lift station at Fifth and
Respess streets. The cost of this phase of Jack's Creek basin improvements
is $2.4 million. Of this amount $1.5 million is being paid for with a
grant from the US Economic Development Administration and $500,000 is
being paid for with a grant from the NC Industrial Development Fund. The
rest will be paid by the state and the city. The city plans to borrow
money for its share and pay debt service with revenue from the new Stormwater
Service Charge.
The city is proceeding
with the Jack's Creek project first at the recommendation of a Stormwater
Advisory Committee that has been meeting since 2000 to advise the city
on drainage issues. While the city has numerous drainage problems, the
committee recommended the city start with this project for two reasons:
1) The hurricane flooding is debilitating to the entire city, not just
the Jack's Creek basin, in that it can block city thoroughfares for hours,
hindering storm recovery as well as continuing to damage flooded property.
2) We need to make sure that water can get out at the mouth of Jack's
Creek before sending even greater volumes of water downstream when fixing
problems with the drainage system upstream.
My property
doesn't contribute to the drainage problem, so why should I pay the Stormwater
Service Charge?
Even if your property
doesn't drain into the public drainage system, runoff from your property
could contribute to the level of nutrients in stormwater runoff from the
Washington area. When new rules controlling the nutrient levels in runoff
go into effect, the public will face paying for new measures to control
this problem.
Why should
I pay the Stormwater Service Charge if flooding still occurs in my neighborhood?
Unfortunately, it
is not feasible to fix all of the problems with the public drainage system
all at one time. Spreading out the cost of system improvements in a particular
area to all users in the city keeps the cost as low as possible to all
concerned.
Even if a project
doesn't provide direct benefits to your neighborhood, you likely derive
benefits from the project. For instance, flooding in the Jack's Creek
basin can interfere with your ability to travel across the city or receive
timely assistance from public safety crews. Also, it may be necessary
to complete downstream drainage system improvements before it is feasible
to address upstream concerns.
How will
the fee be assessed on property with multiple tenants?
Each residential utility
customer who lives in a multifamily unit will be charged $2.
Nonresidential customers
will be charged based on the amount of impervious surface they occupy
and use, such as parking lots and storage buildings. Unless evidence to
the contrary is provided by the landowner of the parcel which the nonresidential
customer is using, impervious surfaces that are not occupied structures
will be allocated proportionally based on the amount of impervious surfaces
covered by the occupied structures. In any case, however, each nonresidential
customer shall be charged at least $10, the lowest nonresidential rate.
Where there is a mix
of nonresidential and residential uses on the same land parcel and/or
in the same building, the nonresidential use shall be billed at the nonresidential
rate and the residential use shall be billed at the residential rate established
by the City Council.
Are there
any exemptions from paying the fee?
There are no exemptions
or reductions in charges based on age, tax or economic status, race or
religion or other condition unrelated to the cost of providing stormwater
services and facilities. The only exemptions allowed are for undeveloped
land; public roads maintained by the state or the city; railroad tracks;
and property with a structure on it that is unoccupied and that does not
have a City of Washington utility account.
Does the
Stormwater Service Charge have anything to do with the new urban stormwater
wetland project downtown?
No. The majority of
urban stormwater management project just completed in downtown Washington
is already paid for through a grant from the NC Clean Water Management
Trust Fund. The remaining balance will be paid off in three years using
other city funds.
The urban stormwater
management project is not a flood-control project; its purpose is to protect
the water quality of the Pamlico River by diverting dirty stormwater runoff
to the new created wetland and the grassy area east of Stewart Parkway,
where the water is cleansed using natural processes. The collection system
relies on gravity and streets to channel the runoff into the treatment
areas. After heavy rainfall, it is normal to see rainwater in some streets
and at the entrance to the grassy treatment area next to the Visitors
Center.
This project does
put the city ahead of the game in complying with state and federal regulations
on stormwater control expected in the future.
What is the
Washington Stormwater Advisory Committee?
Washington City Council
has created a Washington Stormwater Advisory Committee to advise the city
on stormwater management policies, long-range plans, budgets, and drainage
system capital improvements and management. Members have one-year terms
and include a City Council Representative, Planning Board Representative,
Real Estate/Development Community Representative, NC Department of Transportation
Representative, US Department of Agriculture Representative, citizens
from flood basins throughout the city, and the Mayor, City Manager and
directors of Public Works and Planning and Development as ex officio members.
A precursor to this
committee has been meeting regularly since Spring 2000 to advise the city
on addressing drainage problems. So far, this committee has helped prioritize
flood-control projects, pursue grant funding, develop a Stormwater
Policy, and determine the amount of the Stormwater Service Charge.
How do I
resolve a complaint about the amount of the Stormwater Service Charge
on my utility bill?
A customer having
a complaint about a bill should file written or verbal notice with the
City of Washington Customer Service Department. If it is determined that
the bill is in error, an adjustment will be determined by the Public Works
Director based upon such evidence as he deems appropriate.
Who do I
call if I have additional questions?
For more information
about the new Stormwater Utility and Policy call the City of Washington
Public Works Department, (252)
975-9302.
For questions about
the Stormwater Service Charge on your city utility bill call City of Washington
Customer Services Division, (252) 975-9300.