Bend advisory group favors neighborhood-scale stormwater systems, weighs funding and infill options

On April 1, the City of Bend Water Advisory Group (WAG) discussed how to manage stormwater as the city adds denser housing, with staff recommending neighborhood-scale, commingled facilities as the presumptive approach and asking the group for feedback on funding, maintenance and infill exceptions.

Why it matters: Staff said the city clarified code last November that lot-level facilities must be sized for the 25-year storm, which often cannot fit on parcels smaller than about 5,000 square feet. That mismatch is prompting staff to push tools that let multiple lots drain to a single, publicly maintained facility — an approach they said would reduce recurring lot-to-lot flooding, simplify long-term maintenance and address aging infrastructure in older neighborhoods.

Staff lead Lori Fayette framed the choice as a practical response to denser development, saying staff favor ‘‘neighborhood-scale facilities’’ and describing a presumptive, fully commingled model in which streets and lots drain into shared ponds or large dry-well systems the city would maintain. ‘‘Do nothing is not an option,’’ Fayette said, explaining that existing lot-by-lot approaches are creating post-construction problems for homeowners and city crews.

Participants pressed staff on ownership, permit liability and water-quality compliance. Fayette said the city would treat publicly maintained neighborhood systems as city assets and noted the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has told staff that neighborhood-scale facilities are considered ‘‘on-site’’ for stormwater quality requirements. That distinction matters for permit compliance and design expectations.

Funding was a central tension. Fayette noted the city’s stormwater utility fee is ‘‘a really, really low’’ $8 per month for single-family residences and suggested modest increases could be used to support added maintenance obligations: ‘‘I kind of think, like, okay, let’s charge $9 instead of $8,’’ she said. Other participants warned that rate increases must be presented clearly to avoid perceptions that ratepayers are subsidizing private development; several called for case studies and dollars-and-cents projections before proposing changes.

For infill (one to four units on a single lot), where on-site 25-year retention often is physically impossible, staff proposed a toolkit of options: require smaller projects or fewer units, allow partial commingling with limited on-site detention and a fee-in-lieu, or permit building a public facility in the right of way where feasible. Staff suggested phasing tools — for example, first allowing developers to build UICs in the right of way and later offering discharge to existing systems after capacity testing.

Participants emphasized practical details staff must solve before policies advance: defining easements or plat-level restrictions to reserve low points for drainage, clarifying how to test and certify capacity in older pipe systems, and determining whether a fee-in-lieu or SDC-like mechanism fits Oregon statutory limits. Staff noted that some developers prefer selling raw lots; requiring neighborhood systems could be difficult unless incentives — or city-led funding — are available.

Next steps: Staff asked for continued feedback, will post slides and materials online, and scheduled the next WAG meeting for May 6. Staff also plans a June in-person tour of Hatfield Ponds and the water reclamation facility for WAG members.