Friday, March 30, 2001
Friday, March 30, 2001 |
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Expanding storm sewer management will cost $5.9 million By JOHN
MUNFORD
New federal regulations are requiring Peachtree City to expand its storm water management program over the next several years. Meeting the new regulations by 2008 will cost an estimated $5.9 million over the next five years, at an average of $924,000 each year. The city currently spends $355,000 on stormwater management activities, mostly for repairs, maintenance, equipment, inspection and personnel. It's likely that the city's Water and Sewerage Authority will take over the stormwater management program since much of the equipment and facilities needed is already owned by WASA to use for the sanitary sewer system. Also, City Engineer Troy Besseche pointed out in a memo to the City Council that WASA could make the quickest transition into handling the increased duties. Giving the task to WASA would also be beneficial since WASA can handle billing customers and WASA employees can be shifted to the storm water system to handle extreme storm events, Besseche said. To enable WASA to handle the new storm water duties, its enabling legislation will have to be changed promptly, Besseche wrote. WASA has recently discussed taking the storm water system over for the city in light of the new regulations. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is requiring that Peachtree City implement a program that can detect and eliminate illicit discharge along with getting educating and encouraging participation from the public. Another focus of the regulations is preventing pollution from entering the storm water system and focusing on controlling storm water runoff from construction sites. Peachtree City must obtain its new stormwater management permit by March 10, 2003, and it must be in full compliance by March 10, 2008. To reach that goal, the city must take a complete inventory of all curbs, culverts, stormwater manholes, conveyance structures and drainage easements. The city must also develop a comprehensive stormwater management plan to help guide the new program, Besseche noted. The EPA contends that 40 percent of surveyed waterbodies in the U.S. do not meet water quality standards, and a leading source of that problem is polluted stormwater runoff.
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