User-Fee Funded Stormwater Programs: the 2013 WEF Manual, and Lessons Learned from Recent Stormwater Utilities

This paper will be in two parts. The first is an overview of the 2013 WEF manual on User- Fee-Funded Stormwater Utilities. And the second will provide lessons learned from three recent case studies addressing rate structure options, credit and rebate programs, and the use of business case analysis tools to guide policy development.The 2013 update to the 1994 WEF special publication, User- Fee-Funded Stormwater Utilities manual provides an overview of current best practices for implementing a user fee funding mechanism, with lessons learned from 11 case studies from across the US and Canada. This paper will highlight some of the chapters that reflect some of the most significant changes in approach and context during the past 20 years. The paper summarizes current best practices in developing stormwater fee programs, based on advances in technologies such as GIS and billing systems, changing requirements for stormwater programs, and the considerable insight from industry experience during the past 20 years. The paper includes a summary of important lessons from 11 case studies included in the publication, including creative approaches for adapting fee structures and credit programs to address local contexts and stakeholder needs. The case studies include communities throughout North America, ranging from long established programs in communities such as Portland, Oregon that have evolved to reflect stakeholder needs and changing program requirements to relatively newer programs, such as one in Richmond, Virginia that was established to address a combination of permit requirements and locally-driven program needs.The paper will present lessons learned from 3 case studies in more detail, including Lancaster PA, which implemented a utility in 2014; Montgomery County MD, which implemented a utility in 2001 and recently adopted sweeping revisions to their rate structure and a new credit program; and Portland OR, one of the oldest stormwater utilities in the US.