John Zeugner, AICP
January 2008
A Closer Look at the Stormwater Utility
Our January General Meeting program will focus on Richmond s proposed Stormwater Utility (SWU). When we discussed this topic in our December Ex Comm,
there was energetic debate about whether the program is fair, encourages conservation, is sufficiently comprehensive, and whether many citizens really
understand what is at stake here. Ex Comm decided the issue was important enough to examine and discuss more thoroughly, a scheduled it for our January
meeting.
Then, City representatives will tell us their side of the story. It’s only fair to give them the opportunity to present the facts, and justify their
proposal. We are obligated to listen with open minds and be courteous. I attended one of their public meetings last week, and there were only two other
citizens present we all had numerous questions and I expect you will too. Does the general public know what s coming, what it will cost them, and what
the long-term implications are?
Goals of the Program: The obvious goal is to provide funding for flooding abatement and stormwater management.
Richmond’s infrastructure is old and requires extensive renovation and maintentence. Plus, there are parts of the city where flooding is
endemic Midlothian Turnpike and other large flat areas are impervious, under-engineered, and drain slowly. Businesses flood, cars hydroplane,
basements flood, it costs us all.
What are the best solutions? The traditional engineering approach is to drain the areas and get the stormwater out and away ASAP. Will the City’s SWU
program be more comprehensive and aim to incorporate other environmental objectives: reduce flooding volume peaks; reduce erosion and sedimentation, reduce
impervious surfaces, recharge groundwater, and encourage natural systems treatment?
Program Costs:
The City proposes a multi-tiered fee structure, based on house size (even commercial and industrial uses are tied back to house sizes for some reason) which
will hit all property owners. Exemptions and credits are available to non-residential properties, which encourages them to implement mitigation practices,
but is it enough and is it fair?
For single family homes, three rate tiers exist: $45, $90, and $135 additional costs per year, depending on house size. The rates proposed for non-profits,
multi- family, and commercial/ industrial are also ‘stepped’, but the upper numbers get funny. The City claims that these increases will be offset by its
proposed revision of water rates, but the numbers don t add up (see note below) and the poor and middle class seem to be getting squeezed again.
Program Development:
Was this SWU program developed with input from other state experts and with an equal emphasis on future needs and improving water quality for the Chesapeake
Bay? Will it be a 20th century solution, or an evolving program with a commitment to greener approaches, encourage conservation and reductions in impervious
areas, and bring our region closer to low-impact development and sustainability?
Long-Term Considerations:
In our region, we must confront the very real threats of drought, urban heat island effect, and energy and resources depletion. Surviving drought means
managing water quality and quantity and not wasting and polluting it -- keeping it cleaning and storing it for future needs (see our April program on green
roofs, rain barrels and rain gardens).
Hot cities stormwater can sustain trees, which clean, hold and exude water and provide cooling shade. How about a tree for every 10 parking spaces in all
parking lots? Wildlife habitats for BMPs? Wasting fresh water where gray-water will do? Tomatoes shipped from Texas or the west coast or grown in Hanover,
organically?
For all these major threats, there won t be magic bullets or grand solutions but there are small, incremental improvements which will add up over time to
tip the balance for sustainability and quality of life. Lets insist that public and private programs meet immediate needs, do no harm, and meet our long-term needs as well. That s the best investment !
Note: The Richmond Greens and your Falls of the James Group have been pressuring City Council to restructure the City’s
water rates to be more equitable and encourage conservation. They propose eliminating a regressive charging structure, and will charge less per cubic foot if
less water is used. This plan also begs for further refinements sparing the poor and elderly, rewarding water conservation and reuse, encouraging better
landscapes and less grass.
Help support our advocacy, make your homes and work places bluer and greener !