Building a Stormwater Utility Organization to Meet the Challenges of Stormwater Management Requirements Now and In The Future

In many cases, stormwater utility organizations are relatively new in their formation and evolution, as compared to utilities providing drinking and wastewater services. Currently, stormwater utilities are evolving rapidly to address impending challenges such as new and stricter Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requirements and Total Maximum Daily Load allocations. Many organizations must also develop or enhance their revenue sources to meet these challenges as well as address flooding problems and a growing and aging stormwater infrastructure. This paper will compare and contrast how several large local stormwater organizations that are located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are addressing these challenges. In addition, this paper compares and contrasts the evolution of stormwater utilities with water and wastewater utilities that are experiencing similar challenges in many cases. Lessons learned will be presented that will provide valuable information for any stormwater manager as many organizations face similar challenges throughout the country.