Government

Gig Harbor proposing changes to stormwater disparities

When Gig Harbor created its stormwater utility in 1984, things were much different than they are today. There have been significant changes in the way property is developed. There’s much more hard surface — streets, sidewalks and parking lots. There’s also greater awareness of the impact stormwater has on the environment, and regulations are stricter.

In 2007, a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was mandated to manage stormwater facilities. Since then, the city has worked under a permit, issued by the state Department of Ecology on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to protect Puget Sound and other bodies of water from contaminants from hard surfaces.

The city’s NPDES stormwater permit identifies the city’s stormwater requirements, and it has been updated frequently, resulting in a hodgepodge of stormwater management regulations. In addition, changes in policies and regulations since 1984 have created stormwater inequalities among properties. So in March 2021, the public works department launched a stormwater revenue study to review the perceived inequalities.

At its Feb. 14 meeting, the City Council heard the results of the study and discussed a proposed ordinance aimed at correcting some of the disparities. According to Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm, the ordinance does not intend to adjust the city’s base monthly stormwater rates at this time, but the findings will be included in a full utility rate study that will take place later this year.

Langhelm added that many meetings took place in 2021 to help the City Council and public understand the city’s current stormwater billing, the issues the city is facing and the proposals to rectify the issues.

The proposed ordinance would create new stormwater billing and collection policies, and replace an existing ordinance in the city code. It would clarify the definition of “developed” land and introduce the term “hard surface.”

It would redefine the current “equivalent billing unit” (EBU) from 2,200 square feet to 4,400 square feet. This change will reduce stormwater bills for customers who don’t currently receive a discount, Langhelm said.

The new ordinance would establish two rate classes: a single family rate class and a rate class for anything that is not single family. In addition, it would divide the single-family rate class into properties with small, medium and large hard surface areas.

Stormwater fees would be charged to property owners instead of account holders, and would clarify that all classes will pay the same monthly base rate.

The discount for developments with city-approved detention facilities would be eliminated. The discount, which was created in 1984, was an incentive for developers to construct stormwater detention facilities. But as of 1996, all new larger developments are required to have detention facilities, so no incentive discount is needed. And the current 2016 stormwater manual actually requires low-impact development techniques such as infiltration systems instead of detention facilities, so the discount is moot.

Finally, the new ordinance would provide for a rate reduction for commercial rainwater harvesting systems, as required by city code.

These revisions will impact property owners in different ways, Langhelm said. More than half will either see no change in their monthly stormwater bill or will see a reduction in the bill.

Some, however, will see increases in their stormwater rates, either because the earlier discount will no longer be applied or because the amount of hard surface on their property was under-reported to the city.

The public works staff has reviewed examples of stormwater impacts to small businesses on small lots. Wherever impacts will be large, the ordinance provides for a gradual, two-year implementation of the new monthly charge.

The Council will have further review and discussion of the proposed stormwater ordinance at its Feb. 28 meeting. Public comment will be accepted at that time.