SierraScape April - May 2009
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by Virginia Harris
Transportation and Smart Growth Committee Chair

St. Louis' new Impervious Surface Stormwater Fee system is in danger of being compromised.

In 2000, voters approved 4 amendments to the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) charter. One of these provided for creation of a rate commission which would evaluate any proposal from MSD's Board to change sewer rates. The Board appointed the Sierra Club as one of 15 member organizations of the first Rate Commission. A Sierra Club member represented the Club on this Commission through 2008.

In 2007 MSD developed a program to solve stormwater problems by changing their system for funding improvements. Until then MSD had attempted to finance its meager stormwater program by charging every parcel owner 24 cents a month, no matter if the parcel contained a modest house or a large shopping center. In 2007 MSD proposed to charge landowners based on the extent of their impervious surfaces (e.g. roofs, driveways, patios, parking lots, etc.), since this factor was the primary cause for fast storm run-off and thus downstream flooding. The Rate Commission recommended some changes in the proposal and then recommended its adoption. MSD began charging the impervious fees in early 2008.

Until 2008, thousands of parcels within MSD's territory that had been using septic tanks or which did not contain features requiring sanitary sewers, had not been billed for either sanitary sewer service or the 24-cent/month stormwater fee. However, many such parcels do have impervious surfaces, like parking lots, driveways or asphalt playgrounds. These latter parcel owners objected to being included in MSD's new stormwater program. They convinced State Senator Tim Green to file a bill (SB172) to prohibit MSD from charging any landowner for storm water management services if MSD does not provide sanitary sewer service to the landowner's property. However, such properties are just as likely to cause downstream flooding as those that receive sanitary sewer service. So the Sierra Club believes such property owners should NOT be exempt from these stormwater charges and the bill should not be passed.