General Articles Concerning Stormwater Utilities:

The articles in this section are general discussions of the stormwater utility idea.  They would be most useful to people who are not familiar with stormwater utilities and want to gain a general understanding of what they are and how they are organized.  These articles may also provide guidelines on how to create a stormwater utility or present basic survey data. However, they are included in this section because of their concise treatment of the subject.

Brown, Dirk S. G.  (September/October 2003).  Developing a Database to Support a Stormwater Utility. Stormwater: [Online]. Available: http://www.forester.net/sw_0309_developing.html.

This article focuses on the importance of defining data elements, data tables, and databases in the stormwater context. More specifically, the author outlines the issues associated with the design, implementation, and maintenance of a stormwater utility database.

Chinn, S.P. and Crow, M.E. (1993, June).  Shelter from the Storm.  Civil Engineering, pp. 58-59. 

This article discusses the Phase II NPDES permits for stormwater discharges that were proposed in 1993 for communities with populations of less than 100,000.  The author offers suggestions concerning management strategies and financing options that can help reduce compliance costs and make the funding for stormwater projects more equitable. 

Cyre, H.J.  (1983, April). New Options for Stormwater Financing. APWA Reporter, pp. 20-21.  (19 KB)

This article briefly discusses problems with traditional stormwater management and financing methods and identifies some of the elements that should be included in a successful financing strategy.  The article also includes a chart that displays several stormwater management program components and the most appropriate financing options to use for each type of project.  

Cyre, H.J.  (1986, September 23). Developing and Implementing a Stormwater Management Utility:  Key Feasibility Issues.  Presented at the International Public Works Congress and Equipment Show, New Orleans, Louisiana. (28 KB)

This presentation focuses on legal and political challenges that communities may face when trying to implement a stormwater utility and provides recommendations on how to design a program that can withstand legal and political opposition.  The author also presents information about how much the development of a stormwater utility can cost, how to implement the project, how long the implementation process should take, how much revenue the project can produce, and what impact a stormwater utility charge can have on its customers.

Cyre, H.J.  (1987, March). Developing a Stormwater Management Utility. APWA Reporter, pp. 8-9. (36 KB)

This article is a summary of Cyre’s 1986 presentation at the International Public Works Congress and Equipment Show.  The article also provides information about the average amount of revenue generated by stormwater utilities, how much existing utilities charge their customers monthly, and what types of customers generally generate the majority of a utility’s revenue. 

Cyre, H.J.  (2000). The Stormwater Utility Concept in the Next Decade (Forget the Millennium). EPA National Conference on Tools for Urban Water Resource Management and Protection, Conference Draft. Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development. (38 KB)

This presentation reviews the evolution of the stormwater utility concept over the past twenty-five years and looks ahead to the next decade to see where stormwater management is headed.  The presentation outlines problems with how communities have managed stormwater in the past and cites several factors that are increasing the popularity of stormwater utilities around the country including more stringent environmental regulations, higher customer service expectations, and high system repair costs.  Cyre predicts that stormwater utilities will become more popular due to the NPDES Phase II regulations and the stormwater utility concept will evolve to become more practical for communities of all sizes. 

Davis, K., Hatoum, W., & Rose, D.  (1999, June).  Prepared for a Rainy Day. Water Environment and Technology, pp. 36-41.

This article discusses the need for stormwater management, describes what a stormwater utility is, and provides guidelines on how to design a utility program.  The article answers many of the most common questions that community leaders face when investigating stormwater utilities and would be a good article to read at the beginning of the utility creation process.

Doll, A.  (1992). Storm Water Management:  Financing Local Programs with a Utility Approach.  Finance Alert 16 (1A).

This article discusses three major steps in the design of a stormwater utility:  estimating revenue requirements, determining the rate structure, and developing the rate base.  The article also discusses the potential for the stormwater utility idea to be used by communities who are subject to the NPDES permit requirements.

Kaspersen, J.  (2000).  The Stormwater Utility:  Will it Work in Your Community?  Stormwater 1(1) [Online] Available:  http://www.forester.net/sw_0011_utility.html.

This article examines the feasibility of stormwater utilities and features discussions about legal issues, getting support from the public, setting user fees, and finding additional funding sources.  The author interviews several stormwater professionals including the president of the Florida Association of Stormwater Utilities and the director of the Griffin, Georgia stormwater utility. 

Keller, B.  (2001).  Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?  What's Stormwater Funding?  Stormwater 2(2) [Online] Available:  http://www.forester.net/sw_0103_buddy.html.

This article discusses several funding options that are available to communities for stormwater management programs including stormwater utilities, revenue bonds, federal government grants, special purpose local option sales taxes, state revolving loan funds, impact fees, and system development charges.  The author uses his experiences as the director of the stormwater program in Griffin, Georgia to illustrate how each funding source can be used for stormwater management.

Lampe, L.,  Andrews, H., &  Kinsinger. K.  (1996, September). 10 Issues in Urban Stormwater Pollution Control.  American City and County, pp. 36-53. (26 KB)

This article discusses sources of stormwater pollution, clean water regulations, and ten recommendations on how to minimize stormwater pollution.  All of the recommendations would be useful to someone interested in establishing a stormwater utility but stormwater utilities are only briefly mentioned in the final paragraph, a recommendation concerning financing stormwater programs using user fees.   

LeClere, J.  (2000).  Trends in Managing Stormwater Utilities.  Watershed Protection Techniques 2(4), pp. 500-502.  [Online]. Available: http://www.stormwatercenter.net.

This article summarizes the 1995-1996 Black and Veatch survey of stormwater utilities in the United States and discusses five steps toward the creation of a successful stormwater utility. 

Pigott, S.  (1993). When the Well Runs Dry- Paying for Storm Water.  Water Management in the 90’s- A Time for Innovation.  Proceedings of the 20^th Anniversary Conference of the Water Resources Planning and Management Division of the ASCE, New York,  pp. 813-816. 

This presentation provides an introduction to stormwater utilities, the benefits customers receive from improved stormwater management, and the reasons communities choose to create utilities rather than rely on other funding sources. 

Poertner, H.G.  (1981, April). Better Ways to Finance Stormwater Management. Civil Engineering,  pp. 67-69.

This article briefly discusses the stormwater programs of several western cities and introduces the idea of financing stormwater programs through user charges and stormwater utilities. 

Priede, N.  (1990, October). Stormwater Management Through User Fees.  American City and County, pp. 38-42. (12 KB)

This article covers the rate structure options for stormwater utilities and discusses how communities could finance their NPDES permit programs using user charges by including a capital improvement budget in the rate structure or using a special assessment based on the amount of property each resident owns.

Roesner, L. &  Matthews, R.  (1990, February). Stormwater Management for the 1990's. American City and County, pp. 44-. (45 KB)

This article discusses a more comprehensive approach to stormwater management and identifies seven elements that should be included in a stormwater management plan.  The article discusses how to choose the level of stormwater management service in order to achieve both flood control and water quality goals.  The authors also distinguish between structural and non-structural controls, discuss the importance of master planning, and promote the use of a stormwater utility funding system.

Treadway, E.&  Reese, A.L., P.E.  (2000, February).  Financial Strategies for Stormwater Management.  APWA Reporter, pp. 12-14. (36 KB)

This article compares stormwater utilities to general tax revenue-based stormwater management programs and discusses stormwater management funding in light of the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Permit requirements.  This article contains cost estimates for different levels of stormwater service and estimates the potential costs to communities that are required to obtain an NPDES stormwater permit. 

Warren, R.E. (1986, November).  Street Fares.  Civil Engineering, pp. 50-53.

This article discusses the increasing popularity of user fees as a method of financing needed infrastructure improvements.  The author discusses drainage fees, transportation system fees, and the potential for communities with user fees to issue revenue bonds for capital construction. 

Water Environment Federation.  (1994, June). Is a Stormwater Utility Right for Your Municipality?  Water Environment and Technology, pp. 35-36.

This article is an interview with Hector Cyre, a stormwater management consultant, and Gordon Garner, the executive director of the Louisville-Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District in Kentucky.  The two men were asked to comment on the popularity of stormwater utilities, the steps involved in creating a utility, how utility projects can be funded, and what responsibilities utilities should undertake. 

Wilson, H.  (1990, June). The Utility Approach to Stormwater Management. Public Works,  pp. 82-83.  (23 KB)

This article discusses the utility programs of Cincinnati, Montpelier, Union, Wooster, and Zanesville Ohio and lists thirteen recommendations for communities interested in establishing a stormwater utility.