Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norman committee recommends stronger stormwater protections, new studies and funding steps
Summary
A citizen-led stormwater subcommittee and city staff presented updates to Norman’s 2009 stormwater master plan, recommending stronger water-quality treatment requirements near Lake Thunderbird, new monitoring and modeling studies, and steps toward a long-discussed stormwater utility and capital funding.
Amanda Nairn, chair of the stormwater subcommittee and an AIM steering committee member, told the Norman City Council study session on Feb. 27 that the group completed an update to the city’s 2009 stormwater master plan focused on water-quality protection, flood risk and capital needs.
The subcommittee recommended requiring larger stormwater treatment volumes for areas that drain to Lake Thunderbird, preserving existing Water Quality Protection Zone (WQPZ) widths in the development reserve area, expanding monitoring and condition assessments, and advancing studies and funding strategies to pay for remaining capital projects.
The plan update matters because much of Norman’s urban development sits in the Canadian River watershed, where confined stormwater paths, aging infrastructure and rising impervious area have increased flooding and erosion risks. The Lake Thunderbird watershed, by contrast, faces priorities tied to drinking-water protection and preserving riparian habitat, presenters said.
Nairn noted completed work since the 2009 plan, including a Water Quality Protection Zone ordinance adopted in 2011 and a fertilizer ordinance adopted in 2013, as well as capital projects such as the Lake McGee conveyance, Brookhaven Creek culvert replacement, and the Lindsey Street/Imhoff Creek improvements. She said the city updated engineering design criteria in 2023 to add freeboard requirements and guidance on low-impact development, but that many low-impact measures remain advisory rather than mandatory.
The subcommittee’s technical recommendations include a tiered approach to required stormwater quality treatment: a “zone 1” in sensitive Lake Thunderbird tributaries requiring treatment of 1.5 inches of runoff, a “zone 2” ring beyond that requiring 1.0 inch, and a citywide minimum requirement of 0.5 inch of water-quality volume treated for new development. The plan also recommends preventing any further narrowing of WQPZ widths inside the city’s 2045 development reserve area and installing additional water-quality monitoring stations before new development reaches sensitive tributaries.
Presenters and staff described several studies to support implementation: a stormwater infrastructure inventory with condition assessments, rain-on-grid hydrologic and hydraulic modeling to identify pluvial (ponding) flood risks beyond FEMA floodplains, a geomorphology and sediment-transfer study for the Lake Thunderbird watershed, and a low-impact development optimization study to tailor practices to local streams and soils. Staff said the city has acquired a camera truck and begun an inventory of buried stormwater assets and is considering consultants to accelerate the work.
Funding and timing were prominent topics. The subcommittee recalled a 2018 citizen committee and a failed stormwater general obligation bond vote; presenters said the 2018 estimate of a multi-million-dollar gap has grown by an estimated 40–60% because of inflation. The 2018 citizen committee proposed a residential flat fee (the committee recalled $5 per month) and a capital bond; members and staff said building a utility would likely require a refreshed, public-facing financial analysis, community outreach and, if pursued, at least several months of public process. Participants noted the previous citizen process took about 18 months, but councilors and committee members said a shorter, focused timeline might be possible if council directs staff to move forward.
Councilor Grant asked whether the WQPZ width should be increased; the subcommittee response said the ordinance adopted after the 2009 plan strikes a balance between protection and development burdens but recommended eliminating opportunities to reduce WQPZ widths within the 2045 development reserve area to preserve riparian corridors.
The update also highlights technical changes to watch: recent NOAA precipitation updates (Atlas 14/15) and the 2023 engineering design criteria revisions alter design storms and low-impact development guidance, and the subcommittee recommended periodic updates to design criteria as national standards evolve.
No formal council vote or ordinance change was taken at the study session. Presenters asked council for direction to continue with the master plan update and for council consideration of next steps on studies and funding strategies, including whether to pursue a stormwater utility and, if so, a public engagement and timeline for a potential ballot measure.
The subcommittee and staff said the full stormwater master plan update will be provided to council; a land-use chapter summarizing the committee’s recommendations was included in the meeting packet. The study session closed with council thanking the subcommittee and staff and with no formal action taken at that meeting.
