What is the money raised by stormwater fees going to be used for?

The money from stormwater user fees will be used to cover the cost the City incurs in managing and operating the municipal stormwater control system in compliance with federal and state laws. The municipal stormwater control system exists to provide drainage services to property owners within the City. To this point, Streets Department staff has managed basic housekeeping activities and acted in a mostly reactionary manner to address stormwater issues as they arise. Some of the things that stormwater fees will be used for include:

  • City stormwater control system construction, operation, and maintenance costs such as: repairing broken pipes; responding to citizen complaints; constructing new storm drains; cleaning dirt and debris out of storm drains and stream channels; inspection and cleaning of catch basins; street sweeping; constructing projects to solve drainage/flooding capacity problems; dedicated staff and equipment required for these enhanced operations; and properly disposing of storm drain waste. 
  • Water quality protection and clean-up activities such as: enforcement of City stormwater quality codes; finding and eliminating illegal polluted discharges into storm drains and waterways, including sewage or industrial wastewater and chemicals; constructing treatment facilities on City drains; looking at City practices like road maintenance, grounds keeping, and park maintenance, and making changes to ensure that water quality impacts are minimized.
  • Educational activities such as: working with school children on stream clean-up activities; sending information to citizens and businesses about how to properly dispose of chemicals and how to ensure chemicals don’t end up in local creeks; and holding training sessions for builders about how to keep dirt and waste materials from being washed into waterways during construction projects. 
  • Management and administrative activities such as: preparing stormwater program budgets and tracking expenditures; developing City stormwater ordinances and holding public hearings; obtaining stormwater related legal and engineering services; keeping records and preparing regulatory compliance reports; and paying for stormwater employee related overhead costs like office space and computers.

Show All Answers

1. How was the billing for residential properties determined?
2. We heard that you were waiving some types of properties or offering credits. How can this be fair to the rest of us?
3. Why are you collecting money for water, wastewater and now stormwater? Isn't it all the same thing?
4. Is money going to be siphoned off to go to non-stormwater activities?
5. Why not wait to collect fees until later?
6. Why should I pay if all my stormwater stays on my property or in my parking lot?
7. What about property owners that have their own NPDES Multi-Sector or Municipal Stormwater Permit, why should they pay too?
8. What about people on fixed incomes like senior citizens?
9. Are sidewalks included in the calculation of my stormwater fee?
10. What kind of technical help is available for small developments?
11. I heard that the City of Lewiston had a stormwater utility and user fees that was repealed by the Courts. Isn’t this the same thing?
12. Why aren’t stormwater user fees being voted on by the people?
13. Why can’t the City get a waiver from NPDES?
14. Why does the City have to implement a stormwater management program and fees? Aren't there alternatives?
15. How does this stormwater program benefit me?
16. What is the money raised by stormwater fees going to be used for?
17. Do properties that retain and infiltrate some of their stormwater onsite get any credit (reduced stormwater user fee)?