Stormwater Pollution
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
- What is stormwater and why do we need to manage it?
- Why do we have a stormwater utility fee?
- What other sources of revenue fund stormwater management?
- How is the stormwater utility fee different from a tax? (What is a user-fee?)
- What is an impervious surface and what does it have to do with stormwater?
- Who pays the fee?
- My property never floods. Will I still have to pay a stormwater fee?
- What sorts of things are funded by money collected from the stormwater utility fee?
- Do other cities have stormwater user-fees?
- Will the new ACC stormwater management program include the maintenance of private drainage easements?
- My property has terrible drainage problems. Will the utility fee pay for drainage improvements on my property?
Utility Billing Questions
- How much will an average single family homeowner have to pay for a stormwater fee?
- How is the impervious area calculated for condo units?
- When will the first stormwater utility payment be due?
- How often will I receive a stormwater utility bill?
- Why isn't the stormwater utility fee just included on my monthly water bill?
- How is the fee structured?
- What is an ERU?
- Is gravel considered impervious surface?
- What is my customer classification?
- What are utility service areas?
- Can I reduce the amount of my fee by controlling the runoff from my property?
- How can I apply for a utility fee credit?
- I think my bill may be calculated incorrectly, what should I do?
General Questions
What is stormwater and why do we need to manage it?
New federal laws regulating stormwater runoff require Athens-Clarke to reevaluate the way it manages the water that runs off impervious surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, or rooftops. Stormwater runoff carries pollutants directly to our streams and rivers and creates drainage and flooding problems throughout the county.
Why do we have a stormwater utility fee?
The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission voted to create a stormwater utility fee in December 2004. The utility fee raises the revenues needed to fund Athens-Clarke's stormwater management program. This program brings us into compliance with federal regulations and safeguards our community through improved drainage and protection of local waters.
A stormwater utility fee charges properties in Athens-Clarke based on that property's contribution to the need for stormwater management. The utility uses the amount of impervious surface on a property as the primary basis for the fee. This user-fee system represents a way to raise revenue for the program by charging those who directly contribute to its need. This method presents our community with an alternative to an across the board tax hike.
What other sources of revenue fund stormwater management?
In addition to the stormwater utility fee, revenue from the fee charged for a land disturbance activity (LDA) permit is designated for stormwater expenses. Funding for stormwater capital improvements is provided through the current SPLOST program.
In addition to these local sources of revenue, state and federal grant monies may be available for specific projects.
How is the stormwater utility fee different from a tax? (What is a user-fee?)
The stormwater utility is a user-fee, much like the fee that you pay for your water utility or sanitation service. Users of these services are charged based on the demand they place on the system. The stormwater that flows off your property places demand on a vast system of infrastructure which is costly to operate and maintain. Stormwater must be channeled through a system of pipes and other devices before it can be safely discharged into local rivers, lakes, and streams.
What is an impervious surface and what does it have to do with stormwater?
An impervious surface is any area that water will not soak in to. Parking lots, roof tops, roads, and sidewalks are all typically made of impervious materials such as asphalt or concrete.
Because rainwater can not be absorbed by these surfaces, the water must be managed through some sort of stormwater system to prevent flooding. Stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces is often polluted with automotive fluids, metals, sediment, or litter. This polluted stormwater runoff eventually ends up in our streams and rivers.
The rate used to calculate your stormwater fee is based on the amount of impervious surfaces on your property. Impervious surface is a good gauge of how much your property is contributing to the overall need for stormwater management in Athens-Clarke.
Who pays the fee?
All property owners in Athens-Clarke pay the stormwater utility fee. This includes residential homeowners, property owned by churches or non-profit organizations, and commercial property.
Because undeveloped land does not have any impervious surfaces, it is not charged a stormwater fee.
My property never floods. Will I still have to pay a stormwater fee?
All developed property in Athens-Clarke will pay a stormwater utility fee regardless if a drainage concern exists on that specific piece of property or not. Even if your property has never flooded, the stormwater that flows off your property must be managed so that it does not contribute to flooding in areas downstream.
What sorts of things are funded by money collected from the stormwater utility fee?
The stormwater utility fee pays for the operations and maintenance costs of the stormwater program. Some of the services tied to the stormwater program include:
- Flood protection through capital improvement projects
- Improved water quality
- Stormdrain cleaning and repair
- Street sweeping
- Shoulder and ditch maintenance within the publicly owned right-of-way
- Pipe cleaning
- Public education and outreach
- Construction inspection
- Project design and management
- Federal regulatory compliance
Do other cities have stormwater user-fees?
There are more than 400 municipalities across the country that have developed utilities to fund their stormwater management programs. Including Athens-Clarke, more than ten communities in Georgia have user-fees that fund stormwater services. These communities include Columbia County, City of Conyers, City of Covington, City of Decatur, DeKalb County, Douglasville-Douglas County, City of Fayetteville, Gilmer County, City of Griffin, and City of Smyrna.
The number of stormwater utilities is expected to grow as towns face the increased costs that come with developing stormwater programs to meet new federal requirements. More than twenty local governments in Georgia are considering the implementation of a stormwater utility.
Will the new ACC stormwater management program include the maintenance of private drainage easements?
When evaluating the level of service of the stormwater program and the utility, ACC Mayor and Commission decided against maintaining stormwater structures and easements on private property. Doing so would have greatly increased the cost to all ACC property owners.
My property has terrible drainage problems. Will the utility fee pay for drainage improvements on my property?
ACC Storwmater offers a drainage improvement program to aid property owners in resolving drainage problems on private property. The program provides labor for the engineering design and the installation of stormwater facilities needed to alleviate the drainage problem. The property owner is only responsible for the cost of materials for the project. For more information about the drainage improvement program, contact ACC Stormwater at 613-3440.
Utility Billing Questions
How much will an average single family homeowner have to pay for a stormwater fee?
In Athens-Clarke, an average single family homeowner will pay about $42 per year for the stormwater utility fee.
How is the impervious area calculated for condo units?
Owners of condominium units in Athens-Clarke are charged a stormwater fee based on the size of the footprint of their unit. In addition, the amount of impervious surface of all common areas such as parking lots, community buildings, and amenities is divided equally based on the number of units in the complex, and this square footage is added to each unit's footprint amount. In short, each condo is charged for its footprint and its equal share of the total common areas. In the case of stacked condo units, the surface area of the condo's footprint is also divided equally based on the number of units stacked vertically on that particular footprint.
When will the first stormwater utility payment be due?
Most stormwater utility customers will not receive their first bill until April 2006. The billing, originally slated to begin in October 2005, has been pushed back due to complications with the computer software that will manage more than 30,000 stormwater utility accounts.
Utility customers with monthly charges of $100 or more will still receive bills in October. Future bills for these customers will follow every three months.
Property owners are responsible for stormwater utility fees charged to their property beginning July 1, 2005, regardless of when the first utility bill is due.
The chart below shows the billing cycle schedules for all stormwater utility customers. Click here to learn more about the billing schedule change.
| Billing | Customer | When | How much |
| 1st billing | Charges greater than $100 per month | October 2005 | 3 months |
| Charges less than $100 per month | April 2006 | 9 months | |
| 2nd billing | Charges greater than $100 per month | January 2006 | 3 months |
| Charges less than $100 per month | June, July, or August 2006 | 3, 4, or 5 months | |
| 3rd billing | All customers receive a bill for one quarter of service, three months after previous bill. | ||
How often will I receive a stormwater utility bill?
Your stormwater utility bill will arrive every three months or four times a year.
Why isn't the stormwater utility fee just included on my monthly water bill?
The stormwater utility bill is structured to be paid by the property owner. Owners make decisions about how the stormwater from their property is managed. In Athens-Clarke, nearly 50% of properties are occupied by someone other than the owner. Typically the occupant receives the monthly water bill. It would be inappropriate for a tenant to receive the stormwater utility fee.
How is the fee structured?
The stormwater utility fee is charged based on three components; a base charge, water quantity charge, and a water quality charge.
- The base charge covers costs of managing the program as well as the minimum cost to repair and maintain the stormwater system.
- The stormwater quantity charge covers the cost of properly operating and maintaining the county-wide system of pipes, culverts, ditches, and ponds. These services are tied to the reduction of flooding throughout the county.
- The stormwater quality charge covers the program costs of cleaning stormwater infrastructure, detecting illegal discharges, and implementing local stormwater pollution prevention plans. These services are directly tied to protecting water quality.
These three charges are calculated based on the number of ERU's to determine the total stormwater utility fee.
What is an ERU?
Much like a kilowatt or a therm serves as the basis for other utilities, the Equivalent Runoff Unit, or ERU, is the base unit for a stormwater utility. An ERU is a measure of the amount of impervious surface on a property. One ERU is equal to 2,628 square feet of impervious surface. This is the average amount of impervious surface found at the average single family residence in Athens-Clarke.
Is gravel considered impervious surface?
Yes. It is difficult for water to soak into a packed gravel surface. Once gravel is compacted, from cars or heavy equipment for example, surface water runs off of it much like a paved surface. The gravel may slow the flow of water from the area, but nearly the same amount of runoff will flow from the area under the gravel as if the gravel was not there. Many flat roofs are covered with gravel, but they still shed the rainwater that falls on them. In addition, if cars or heavy equipment are traveling on these gravel surfaces; runoff typically carries pollutants like metals, or petroleum into our waterways.
What is my customer classification?
Your customer classification is determined by the way your property is used. The customer classification is used to determine which water quality factor is appropriate.
What are utility service areas?
Athens-Clarke County provides various levels of stormwater service to different parts of the county. In some areas of the county, properties are downstream of the ACC system or the stormwater services are managed by another legal entity. The stormwater utility bill shows which service area your property is located within. These service areas are established to ensure that all properties are fairly charged for the stormwater services received. The areas are: 1) Riparian, 2) Winterville, 3) University of Georgia, 4) ACC General.
Can I reduce the amount of my fee by controlling the runoff from my property?
While property owners can't "turn off the rain", they can ensure that their property is developed in such a way that lessens the demand placed on the stormwater system. A system of credits reduces the fee for properties with specially designed systems such as detention ponds or infiltration trenches that manage stormwater runoff.
To be eligible for a credit, a property must meet the criteria set in the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual.
How can I apply for a utility fee credit?
Stormwater credits are given to properties with installed and maintained stormwater systems that meet the requirements of the Athens-Clarke stormwater management ordinance and the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual. Stormwater ponds, wetlands, infiltration trenches, and other management systems reduce the velocity or rate of the runoff or clean up the pollutants found in stormwater. When properly maintained and installed, these systems can qualify for a reduction in fee for the property that they serve. Click here to go to the utility credit application.
I think my bill may be calculated incorrectly, what should I do?
Stormwater utility bills are based on the amount of impervious surface that is present on the property. The impervious surface is calculated from the County's 2003 aerial photography. If you believe that the area of impervious surface has been calculated incorrectly or has changed since the 2003 aerial photography was produced, the property owner can apply for an evaluation. Click here to go to the fee adjustment form.
