City Of Fairfax: Stormwater Utility Proposed To Improve Water Quality, Improve Drainage

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

06/18/2021 12:00 PM

The City of Fairfax is considering implementing a Stormwater Utility to support the city's stormwater management program. As city drainage infrastructure ages and city regulatory compliance requirements continue to expand, costs associated with stormwater management programming continue to increase.

Additionally, the region has recently experienced multiple significant rain events that have highlighted additional drainage improvement needs. The city’s current Storm Fund offers limited flexibility for funding program priorities, flexibility that the city will need to address an ever-growing list of needs, including foreseeable capital improvements for both water quality enhancement and water quantity management (flood control).

Like utilities for water and sanitary sewer, a Stormwater Utility (SWU) is a fee-for-service approach to providing stormwater management services in the City of Fairfax. In this model, rate payers are charged a fee based on the stormwater runoff impact generated by their respective properties, using impervious surface as the measurement of that impact. A SWU provides a dedicated funding source for existing stormwater management services and new capital projects to reduce sediment and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorous) pollution into our local waterways, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Many Virginia communities have transitioned to a stormwater utility to fund their stormwater program, rather than continuing to use a real estate tax set-aside or general fund revenues. Twenty-eight Virginia jurisdictions have created formal stormwater utilities.

Benefits of Implementing a Stormwater Utility

Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study

The city started a Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study in September 2020 to explore this option for funding the stormwater program. The stormwater program is currently funded through a dedication of the real estate tax, equivalent to $0.03 of the city’s real estate tax rate. The current tax-based stormwater funding source is based on a property’s assessed value.

A stormwater utility fee differs because it is calculated based on the amount of impervious surface present on a parcel. Under a stormwater utility, properties with more impervious surfaces, which contribute more stormwater runoff to the storm drainage system, would pay a proportionally higher fee.

Stay Engaged

City residents and other property owners are invited to learn more about the proposed SWU on Engage Fairfax. Tools are available to capture comments and questions. 

Additional information about the stormwater management program is available on the Stormwater and Floodplain Management webpage.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.