Wildwood staff, consultants outline streamlined stormwater master plan to prioritize erosion fixes

Phil Blahn, a civil engineer with HR Green, and Paul Lukovalski, a civil engineer with M3 Engineering, presented a streamlined version of a stormwater management master plan to the City of Wildwood Planning and Parks Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The presentation outlined a lower-cost approach intended to identify priority projects, produce conceptual designs and develop cost opinions to guide implementation and funding.

The consultants said the city’s earlier, more comprehensive plan had been estimated near $1.5 million; the streamlined scope proposed by HR Green and M3 would cost about $300,000 while still producing actionable project lists. “You can do a less expensive plan and still tap in the funding to help your problems,” Blahn told the committee. He and Lukovalski described an approach that combines existing local studies, public outreach and targeted technical analyses rather than exhaustive, citywide hydraulic modeling.

Why it matters: consultants and staff said Wildwood faces significant streambank erosion driven primarily by development that increases runoff volumes and speeds, and by local soils and steep topography. The city has limited local capital for large-scale repairs; the streamlined plan is meant to produce a prioritized, fundable set of projects so Wildwood can pursue multiple funding sources, including the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Section 319 grants and the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Proposition S disbursements.

Consultants outlined two funding paths the plan is intended to support. Section 319 funding (repeated in the presentation as “3 19”) flows from the federal Clean Water Act to the Missouri DNR for water-quality projects; consultants said the state program’s annual grant pool is roughly $1.5 million and typically funds about five or six projects a year, with a typical project lifecycle of about three years. Phil Blahn noted that Section 319 grants fund erosion- and sediment-control projects aimed at improving water quality, but are not intended for flood-control work. Separately, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) is expected to allocate Proposition S revenue to municipalities; presenters said Wildwood may receive roughly $300,000 a year from MSD once the distribution begins and that those funds could be applied to eligible MSD-area projects.

Committee members asked about geographic and eligibility issues. Blahn and Lukovalski said Section 319 applications and eligibility often align with watershed-scale planning (a “nine-element” watershed plan) and that having existing watershed plans for Kiefer Creek and the Hamilton Carr watershed strengthens Wildwood’s chances for funding in those areas. They advised that developing nine-element plans for every Wildwood watershed would be expensive and likely counterproductive in the near term; instead, they recommended a citywide, streamlined stormwater master plan that incorporates existing nine-element plans where present and produces prioritized projects and funding strategies for the whole city.

Timing and outreach: consultants estimated a nine-month timeline that includes two public outreach sessions and about six months of focused planning and prioritization after public input. They said the work would yield roughly 8–10 conceptual projects with cost estimates and recommended funding sources. Committee members suggested pairing larger, long-term projects with smaller “quick wins” so residents see progress early.

Staff direction: the department framed the presentation as background ahead of the capital-improvement discussions in October and November, not as a request for immediate authorization. Committee members indicated support for moving the study forward as part of the upcoming budget/CIP process, and discussed coordinating MSD Prop S funds and Section 319 grant opportunities with the plan’s priorities.

Quotes in context: “You have development that sends more water to your creeks faster than they can handle,” Blahn said when asked about causes of erosion. He and Lukovalski emphasized that erosion-driven sedimentation projects tend to be eligible for Section 319 grants while flood-control projects are not.

What’s next: staff said the presentation was intended to inform the upcoming capital-improvement review. The Planning and Parks Committee did not take a formal funding vote at the Sept. 16 meeting; staff said the item will be considered in the city’s CIP/budget discussions later this fall.