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| Village Government
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Storm Water Management and Utility
The Village of Mukwonago is considering implementing a Village-wide Storm Water Utility as a mechanism to deal with increasing storm water management costs.
The Village Board recently adopted a Storm Water Utility Feasibility Study and decided to commence the implementation phase. The decision to adopt the Storm Water Utility Ordinance was postponed until January 2011.
Storm water is untreated runoff from rainfall and snowmelt. It flows across impervious surfaces, through fields and over construction sites, crossing municipal boundaries and carrying contaminants to our lakes and streams. These contaminants can include sediment, excess nutrients, heavy metals, oil, pesticides and bacteria. Water pollution and contaminated storm water runoff degrade surface waters, making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act and administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States.
In the State of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) program in accordance with EPA regulations. The Village of Mukwonago is a mandatory participant in the WPDES program.
The purpose of the storm water permit is to encourage communities and residents to take an active role in preventing pollution from storm water runoff. Potential sources of pollution include parking lot and street wash off, illegal dumping of chemicals into storm sewer system, improper pet waste cleanup, agricultural runoff, fertilizer and pesticide over application, failing septic systems and many other sources. Since all storm water in Mukwonago ultimately ends up in our local lakes and rivers, the community as a whole has a responsibility to protect our pristine waters.
The minimum requirements of the Village's WPDES permit are summarized in the six control measures listed below.
The Village has joined Waukesha County in the development of a public information, education and participation program. This partnership will allow the Village to cost effectively implement many of the permit requirements.
The Village of Mukwonago is committed to protecting and enhancing our local waterways. For more information or to see how you can help, please visit the following websites or contact the Village Hall.
What is a Storm Water Utility? A Storm Water Utility provides a separate source of funds that are used exclusively for storm water management.
What’s different about these funds as compared to the general tax fund? These separate funds are dedicated to the planning, maintenance and construction of storm water facilities, such as detention ponds, storm sewer maintenance/construction/reconstruction and erosion control. All properties within the Village, including non-profit organizations such as schools and churches contribute to the fund based upon their impervious and pervious areas.
What are “impervious and pervious areas”? Impervious areas are those that do not absorb rainwater. Examples include the roof of a building, driveways, parking lots, paved playground areas, tennis courts or hard packed soil. Pervious areas are those that absorb rainwater and primarily consist of lawns and other grassy surface areas. While these areas do absorb rain water, pervious surface areas generate some runoff, primarily during heavy rain events.
Why should I be concerned about storm water runoff? The most obvious effect of storm water runoff occurs during heavy rainstorms, when flooding and basement backups become a problem. However, the pollution to local rivers, streams and lakes can be significant from even small amounts of runoff. Storm water discharge from 1 square mile of road or parking lots can yield 20,000 gallons of residual oil per year.
Isn’t this just another tax - a “rain tax?” No. Because Storm Water Utilities are generally funded by a user fee, all properties that contribute to runoff are charged based on their impervious and pervious area. Residential properties generally pay less in a Storm Water Utility than they would through the general tax roll. This is because the fees are not based on property valuation but on the amount of storm water runoff. A commercial property or a church has far more storm water runoff than a home, and is charged accordingly.
Can I deduct this fee from my taxes? No. These fees are not tax deductible, like your property tax. However, some residential homeowners pay less with this system - even taking into account the loss of a deduction for income tax purposes.
The user charge will be included in your regular quarterly sewer/water bill.
What if I own a vacant lot? Will I be required to pay the fee? Yes. Vacant lots will be charged a user fee; however the fee will be less than a developed property with impervious surface area. In most cases, vacant residential lots will pay half the charge of a developed residential lot.
By using aerial photography, pervious and impervious surfaces were digitally outlined to determine the amount of pervious and impervious area. An average was determined for single family homes. Commercial, manufacturing and industrial properties will be charged based on the amount of pervious and impervious area compared to a single-family home.
Why don’t we just pay for this the way we always have - through the general fund? Separating these funds provides a stable source of revenue, and assures that long-term planning that saves dollars can occur. Storm water planning that anticipates problems can help to eliminate catastrophic flooding. The property loss, economic damage, public health threat and threat to human safety that is caused by flooding is very real. Charges are more fair because they are based on runoff, not property value.
Will the Village have to hire more people to take care of the Storm Water Utility? No. A Storm Water Utility does not add another layer of government. Because this fee will be added to your regular utility bill, there are no additional mailing costs.
What objectives were identified by the Committee as important for the Village of Mukwonago? The proposed Utility and storm water management and user charges were recommended by a Committee with representatives from Village government, businesses, non-profits and residents. The Committee identified the following three goals for storm water management and funding:
The following chart shows the anticipated charges, and how they compare to the current method of funding through property taxes.
Storm Water Study and Permit Information
Erosion Control and Storm Water Permit Applications
Waukesha County Storm Water Management: http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=7820&id=7824 Waukesha County Rain Barrel Program: http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=7820&id=21898 Waukesha County Educational Resources: http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=7828&id=7872 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Municipal Storm Water Program: http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/stormwater/muni.htm EPA Municipal Storm Water Program: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/munic.cfm Wisconsin Runoff Information: http://runoffinfo.uwex.edu/ Water Star Wisconsin: http://www.waterstarwisconsin.org/
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