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.