 
Support the upcoming vote to help Newton clean up the Charles!
Please call your Alderman by 5 pm, Wednesday May 17th!
The City of Newton is considering legislation that
would create a "Stormwater Utility."
The stormwater utility would work much like the City's existing
water and sewer utilities: an annual fee - $25 per year for residential
properties and $150 per year for commercial properties - would go into
the stormwater utility account, and would be dedicated to Newton's
stormwater program. The fee
would appear on the regular water and sewer bill.
The money would pay for services like street sweeping and catch
basin cleaning, as well as capital improvement projects to replace failing
infrastructure and implement effective stormwater treatment measures,
designed to improve water quality and provide flood control.
The purpose of establishing and implementing a stormwater utility
is to generate a stable, adequate, and equitable source of funding to pay
for both existing stormwater-related salaries and expenses, as well as new staff
and capital improvement projects.
Newton's costs for managing stormwater have risen
over the past decade, partly because the City's drain pipes and other
stormwater infrastructure are quite old and in need of repair; and partly because
state and federal laws now require cities and town to reduce pollution in
stormwater runoff.
Although the Charles River has been declared by the
US EPA to be the cleanest urban river in America, and the river is clean
enough to swim in most of the time, pollution levels spike after heavy
rainstorms. The main cause of
this pollution is stormwater from the drains that carry runoff from our
homes, businesses, roadways, parking lots, and other impervious surfaces.
Flooding is another
major problem for Newton residents and businesses because of increased
stormwater runoff, lack of recharge of stormwater and peak stormwater flows
during and after a storm event.
Today, the City of Newton spends over $352,000 managing
the stormwater infrastructure. Expenses
include street sweeping, cleaning out catch basins that fill up with sand
and debris, repairing collapsed drains, finding and removing sewer
"cross connections," cleaning out drainage swales and collecting water
quality samples to ensure compliance with permits.
These activities are mandated by federal and state law, and if the
City fails to comply, EPA can issue fines and establish requirements that
could be more costly in the long run.
Just as important, if the City fails to manage stormwater
runoff, pollution to wetlands, lakes and ponds will continue unabated and
flooding will continue to be problematic for certain residents and
businesses.
Newton needs a clear, reliable and separate way to
pay for stormwater management. Developing
a utility with a dedicated source of income from an annual fee is a fair
and transparent way to provide the funds to support this program.
CRWA strongly supports stormwater utilities.
They provide better accountability and management for
stormwater cleanup, and reduce the competition between the environment and
other City services such as schools, fire and police.
Take Action!
Please call your Aldermen today and tell them to
support the stormwater utility.
Updated on May 15, 2006
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WATERSHED INFO
