Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ten-year stormwater master-plan: models, incentives and $8.7 million FY25 revenue
Summary
Public Works outlined 10 years of stormwater master planning, hydraulic modeling outputs, BMP cost-share results (84 residential, 12 commercial projects) and FY25 stormwater utility revenue of $8.7 million with about $5.4 million allocated to capital improvements; staff described ongoing modeling, inspection pilots and projects including an EMU detention-basin expansion.
Ben Worrall, Public Works, presented a 10-year update on the stormwater utility and master plan, summarizing modeling work, fees, projects funded and maintenance priorities.
Worrall traced the program's evolution from a flat fee in the late 1970s to an ERU-based fee structure adopted by city council in 2016 and phased in through FY22. "The ERU cap was phased out between, FY 2017 and FY 22," he said, and added that the biggest revenue change came from large commercial and industrial properties with extensive impervious area.
Worrall reviewed the city's hydraulic modeling work — a macro model of large pipes that has been refined with additional watershed-level models — and said modeling produced baseline flood maps used to identify candidate projects, such as the E Avenue (EMU) detention-basin expansion. He said FY25 stormwater utility revenue was adopted at $8,700,000 with "$5.4 of that going to capital improvements." Worrall also highlighted a BMP cost-share program with 84 residential and 12 commercial projects to date and a Cedar Rapids Stormwater Commission program that can reimburse up to 50% of residential project costs (up to $2,000) with no cap for commercial projects.
Worrall described a routine-inspection pilot in the Kenwood watershed aimed at a 15-year inspection cycle and said operators estimate roughly 6% of the pipe system is "heavy to full" of sediment in their sample runs; he said routine inspection and cleaning restore capacity and can reveal illicit connections, citing a laundry facility discharging to the storm sewer discovered during inspections.
Committee members praised the work and stressed the continuing risk of extreme rainfall events; members noted visible benefits so far and urged continued prioritization of older core areas that lack drainage. Worrall said staff will finalize detailed watershed models, explore underground detention options, and pursue measures to improve the city's community-rating-system score for flood-insurance discounts.
No formal action was taken; staff will continue modeling and project prioritization and report back on implementation progress.
