McMinnville staff warn of aging stormwater system; advisory committee urges new utility

Summary

Public Works and engineering staff told the council the city’s stormwater infrastructure is in varied and often poor condition, cited regulatory requirements under the Mercury TMDL, and reported that the citizen advisory pack unanimously recommended creating a stormwater utility and a master plan to fund repairs and proactive maintenance.

Public Works Director Jeff Hunsicker and City Engineer James Lofton briefed the McMinnville City Council on the condition of the city’s stormwater system, regulatory obligations tied to a Mercury total maximum daily load (TMDL), and advisory‑panel recommendations for creating a stormwater enterprise fund.

Staff said the system includes pipes of widely varying age and construction, roughly 45 miles of open channels, about 3,600 catch basins, and 17 detention basins. Staff also described major gaps in asset data and condition assessments and said maintenance has been largely reactive — crews repair failures and respond to localized flooding rather than fund programmatic replacement.

The advisory panel and staff recommendations

Hunsicker told councilors the stormwater advisory panel (PAC) unanimously recommended creation of a stormwater utility to generate ongoing, dedicated revenue for maintenance, capital repair and regulatory compliance. The PAC also recommended first funding a master plan and capital improvement program to prioritize replacement and to enable system development charges (SDCs) for stormwater.

"The city is responsible for taking care of…

McMinnville staff warn of aging stormwater system; advisory committee urges new utility

Summary

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