Introduction

This document presents the results of a survey of stormwater utilities in the southeastern United States (excluding those in the State of Florida) conducted by the Southeast Stormwater Association and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4. Its purpose is to provide useful information to managers and policy-makers in state and local governments in the southeast. Beginning in 2009, SESWA will conduct the Survey every two years, enabling trends in the characteristics of stormwater programs, utility rates and other practices to be observed.

Respondents

Almost 600 survey instruments were distributed to jurisdictions identified as being required to obtain the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits within EPA, Region 4 outside of Florida. Within those 600 MS4 jurisdictions, 85 were identified as having an established stormwater utility (“SWU”).

141 cities, counties or other authorities or districts responded to the survey, generating the following results:

Florida was not included in this survey because the Florida Stormwater Association has completed a very similar statewide survey every two years since 1995. Since the survey instruments are nearly identical, the information obtained from the Florida survey can be easily compared with that from the SESWA effort.

There are approximately 470 city and county governments in Florida. Over 140 have established stormwater utilities and many others are currently considering the establishment of such financing mechanisms. The relatively high number of stormwater utilities in Florida can be attributed to two factors:

• The 1968 revisions to the Florida Constitution granted broad powers of local self-government or “Home Rule” to all cities and counties. Thus, absent specific measures prohibiting the establishment of fees for stormwater services, a city or county is presumed to be empowered to enact reasonable charges for such services.



• The Florida Statutes were amended in 1989 to specifically authorize cities and counties to establish stormwater utilities and establish fees for stormwater management services.

Absent the granting of Home Rule powers to city or county governments, specific statutory authorization for the establishment of mechanisms to fund stormwater services to either cities or counties in general, or to a specific jurisdiction, is necessary before local councils or commissions can take action within their community.

In those states where authority does exist for local governments to enact such financing mechanisms to fund stormwater management services, measures such as training, education and the sharing of information on successful procedures and practices used by cities and counties that have established stormwater utilities is of great importance to other jurisdictions.

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