Taking Over Ownership of a Storm Sewer System Without Looking Under the Hood! How Sd1 Quickly Turned a Reactive Mess into a Proactive Asset Management Program.

In Northern Kentucky (NKY) similar to other communities nationally, storm water management ownership responsibilities between stakeholders are not black and white. Responsibility and ownership of storm water related issues involving utility owned storm sewer assets related to operation, maintenance and capacity management can be easily identified although it is difficult to delineate between public and private stakeholder responsibilities when local flooding problems occur due to a lack of routine maintenance or alterations to existing storm water BMP’s or green infrastructure. Problems related to overland flooding, blocking storm water inlets and catch basins, obstruction and rerouting of swales and drainage basins, etc. in one city, property or area may impact adjacent stakeholders and private property owners which unknowingly contribute to property damage, flooding and other public health and safety concerns.Challenges related to communicating, understanding and separating the responsibilities between public utilities, stakeholders and private owners is a complicated task to manage. Although, developing a brand new Asset Management Program and trying to achieve an acceptable level of customer service in less than a years’ time can be next to impossible. This paper will shed light on the challenges presented with storm water management responsibilities belonging to Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1), multiple stakeholders and private owners and SD1’s approach to developing a program in limited time to assess, operate, maintain and prioritize repairs to achieve an acceptable level of customer service and protect public health and safety.