Agenda - Public Works Committee - 01/21/2003

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In the final regulations USEPA took a different approach.in making estimates of the costs of compliance using both the NAFSMA information and past experience with Phase I (EPA, 1 999). EPA estimated annual costs for the municipal programs based on a fixed cost component and'a variable cost component. The fixed cost component included costs for the municipal application, record keeping, and reporting activities. On average, EPA estimated annUal costs of $1,525 per municipality. Variable costs include the costs associated with annual operations for the six minimum measures and are calculated at a rate of $8.93 annually per household (assuming 2.62 persons per household). Thus the cost estimating equation is: Annual cost = $1,525 + population/2.62*$8.93 Finally, rule of thumb estimates based on the author's experience working in over t00 communities indicate that comprehensive stormwater programs that include advanced stormwater quality programs cost between $7.00 and $20.00 per capita per year - above the EPA estimates. The quality portion is normally between twenty and thirty percent of the total average program cost, Estimating Costs from Anticipated Programs The methods used above do not provide details of the components of the stormwater programs resulting in the costs, and thus are not very helpful in assisting other communities in their thinking about the regulationS. An effort was made to develop cost estimate ranges based on a direct, interpretation of the stormwater regulations as app led to example communities at each end of the spectrum, in terms of size and intensity of water quality program. This has an advantage in that it deals directly with the stormWater regulatory requirements and illustrates specific program components so that we can control and define all details. The following sub-sections will develop two hypothetical permit appli,cations for the six minimum controls. · The Two Perrnittees Permittee one ("Smallville") is a communil~.y of 10,000 that is adjacent to a larger city that has obtained a Phase I permit or that can assist Smallville in many of its permit responsibilities. It is a small bedroom.community interested in compliance with minimum disruption and cost. It.does not .really have an engineering or planning component of its city staff, but relies on a city administrator and hired consultants. Permittee two ("Midtown") is a larger and more self-contained community with a population of 50,000 located within an urbanizing county whose total population makes it a designated "urbanized area." It is aggressively annexing growth areas, and has a thriving economy. It has a City Engineer/Public Works director, road maintenance staff, and other municipal capabilities and resources. It also has a growing stormwater quantity program and wishes to bring quality together with quantity in a comprehensive and integrated approach. It wants to take advantage of its GIS database and capability. 33