By BETSY TYLER

Peachtree City residents have been hearing about stormwater lately, and it seems we’re going to be hearing a lot more in the coming months. There’s talk about a “utility,” and “$9 million in capital improvement projects,” and my personal favorite, the “NPDES Phase II Permit and NOI.”

I confess that, when I’ve been at City Council meetings featuring stormwater presentations, my eyes glaze over and I start wondering how many holes are in the ceiling tiles.

Then I had to go to a meeting on stormwater public education. Unfortunately, I found myself a little behind on the subject. I posed what I thought were reasonable questions to help me get up to speed: What do we need a Phase II permit for? When did we get the Phase I Permit? Why don’t we just forget the whole permit idea? It wasn’t good; I hate it when engineers laugh at me.

So we had another, more remedial meeting for my benefit, and I reviewed all the presentations and position papers from the past two years. For those who don’t really want all the technical details, I thought I’d share what I learned.

I’ll start with a bit of school nostalgia. Remember the water cycle diagram from science class? A little cloud drops rain (precipitation), then the water soaks into the ground on its way to a stream (infiltration), where it rises back into the atmosphere (evaporation), turns into a cloud (condensation), and starts all over again. Sure, there are more arrows and ‘ations, but those are the basics.

Then the government got involved. Apparently, there is a growing problem with the infiltration part of the water cycle.

People have been constructing all these buildings, parking lots, streets, and paths — all important elements of a community, but they cover large sections of ground that used to soak up rainwater, and the part that doesn’t soak in is “stormwater runoff.” Aha, I’ve heard that term before!

Lesson 1: Stormwater runoff is basically any rain that doesn’t soak into the ground.

The result is the Federal Clean Water Act, which requires local governments to manage stormwater. The good news is that the city already has a stormwater management program.

For decades, the city has required developers to install stormwater runoff control elements as they build neighborhoods and sites — pipes under the roads, retention and detention ponds, etc. — and to leave much of the natural drainage system undisturbed so stormwater can flow naturally.

Because Peachtree City is so young, and because we have so much greenspace, we’re actually in pretty good shape compared to a lot of cities.

Unfortunately, we’re reaching an age when some of the early structures need replacement, while more runoff is being added from newer parts of town, and from development upstream in Tyrone and Fairburn.

Heavy storms in 2004 and 2005 added to the problem, requiring emergency repairs for collapsing culverts under roads and private land flooding due to older structures failing. Funding for these repairs had to come from other programs or projects. And about $9 million in other drainage system repairs are needed — that we know of.

Lesson 2: Stormwater Management is not new to Peachtree City, but we’re facing problems we’ve never had to face before.

So, we have a program in place, but the basic costs are rising every year as the city ages. And the new federal requirements will further increase these costs.

In 1993, the Clean Water Act required communities of 100,000-plus people to meet certain requirements in managing stormwater runoff (Phase I). In 2003, those requirements extended to communities with populations between 10,000 and 100,000 (Phase II). That includes Peachtree City.

And guess what: It turns out that these “permits” aren’t like building permits, and you can’t just say, “Never mind.” Each community has to file a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) saying they will comply with the Clean Water Act by managing stormwater runoff and meeting the requirements. Our revised program must be fully operational by the end of 2006.

Now, back to my question: what happens if we just scrap the whole thing? Bottom line, it can still cost even more money.

Although it is a last resort, the EPD can fine communities that do not comply up to $100,000 per day. The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District can add fines to that. The EPD can also affect our sewer bills; they issue permits to the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) for treated wastewater that goes into local streams. If we don’t manage our stormwater runoff, EPD can increase WASA’s treatment requirements, and the additional costs will be passed on in our sewer bills.

Poor stormwater management also leads to silt buildup in our lakes and streams, requiring projects like Fayette County’s dredging of Lake Peachtree last year.

More importantly, not managing stormwater affects our quality of life. Most Peachtree City residents enjoy walking or golf carting along beautiful streams and scenic lakeshores. Now picture the same outing, but with clogged streams, no wildlife, and dead trees. We’ve lost our refuge, our home values drop, and suddenly we’re just like a lot of other areas around Atlanta.

Lesson 3: Stormwater management isn’t optional.

As I mentioned, our plan to meet the new requirements must be fully operational by the end of 2006. The Engineering Department has been working on that plan so that we can stay in good standing with the EPD and maintain the quality of life that Peachtree City citizens expect.

Our first step will be to inventory our existing drainage system, assess its condition, and develop a maintenance plan to keep it in good working order. Then staff will be better able to identify undesirable runoff (illicit discharges), track where it is coming from, and stop the problem.

This can include industrial pollutants, restaurant grease, auto repair and car wash runoff, even grass clippings and leaves dumped in a drainage culvert. All these affect the quality of water passing through Peachtree City.

Of course, the new tasks will require more staff time. Both Engineering and Public Works will need additional employees to inspect, plan, repair, and maintain our stormwater system and meet our permit requirements. There are also those $9 million in repair projects, approximately 40 in all, with about two-thirds of those categorized as “priority.”

All of this costs money. Staff estimates about $1 million per year will be needed for stormwater management to meet the requirements of our permit and obtain financing for the priority repairs. This is primarily money the city has not budgeted in the past.

Lesson 4: Stormwater Management isn’t cheap.

So, that is the overview of Peachtree City’s stormwater management program as it stands today (and I never used the word “impervious”). Now the city, like every other Phase II community, must decide how to pay for managing stormwater.

One option is the formation of a stormwater utility, with funding dedicated exclusively to stormwater. City staff will be presenting this concept to the mayor and council for discussion at a workshop on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006, at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers. The public is invited to attend.

The Peachtree City Engineering Department also has more information posted on the City’s Web site at www.peachtree-city.org (select “Stormwater Utility/ Stormwater Management” on the main page) for anyone wanting those technical details I left out.

Betsy Tyler is the public information officer for Peachtree City.