Webster Groves launches stormwater advisory commission to steer project priorities and outreach

Webster Groves convened the first meeting of its Storm Water Management Advisory Commission to introduce members, outline the commission’s advisory charge and begin work on prioritizing projects from the city’s stormwater master plan.

Deputy City Manager David Booklas, identified himself as the commission liaison, told members he kept the agenda “very thin to try to just get things started” and described the commission’s role: to make “policy and program recommendations to the city council and the departments” on stormwater management, capital improvements, floodplain management, green infrastructure, water quality and best practices.

The group heard short introductions from members with technical and outreach backgrounds. Paul Writes said he is a Webster Groves resident and former chair of the planning commission with experience in stormwater and floodplain management. Aden Ball described himself as a retired teacher-educator with an academic background in earth and planetary sciences. Steve Stump and Jim outlined civil-engineering and environmental backgrounds; Missy Castro said she runs Missouri Native Stewardship Services and emphasized community communication and native-plant approaches. Jordan Lucas joined remotely and identified himself as an economist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specializing in flood-risk analysis.

Staff walked the commission through the recently completed stormwater master plan and an extracted spreadsheet of projects and scores. Booklas said the plan “identifies a boatload of projects,” noting some address public-purpose area flooding while others concern private-property issues that the city might only touch if projects overlap city work. Staff explained they had taken Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) rankings and added local columns—easements required, public-purpose flag, and bank-stabilization versus area-flooding designations—so the commission could add criteria and modify priorities.

Members questioned how MSD balances conventional engineered pipe solutions with nature-based best management practices and how design storms will account for more intense rainfall linked to climate change. Staff described MSD’s current approach as a hybrid of engineered and nature-based measures and said design standards acknowledge they will be exceeded during extreme events, but that there is not yet enough settled data to redefine design-storm parameters.

Staff confirmed the city issues major and minor land-disturbance permits and performs inspections to verify erosion-control measures and SWIPs. Members recalled the Douglas Hill development proposal—an example where a developer had proposed piping Shady Creek—saying the proposal went through many iterations, drew community concern and was ultimately turned down.

Funding sources discussed included MSD Proposition S grants, OMCI (operations, maintenance and construction improvements) funding, and a city stormwater sales-tax allocation that has historically been split with parks under Prop W. Participants noted the city’s Prop W split has been about 80% parks and 20% stormwater; during the meeting the 20% figure was stated as $250,000. Staff said they would explore grant funding first and use city funds where appropriate.

The commission elected officers by acclamation: members accepted a slate with Steve Stump serving as chair. Staff will assemble monthly agendas, circulate the project spreadsheet and the ordinance for review, and asked members to propose multipliers or other adjustments to the prioritization criteria ahead of the next meeting. Staff also encouraged forming subcommittees for outreach and offered assistance from the city’s Public Information Officer, Jordan Row.

Next steps recorded by staff include distributing the prioritized spreadsheet and ordinance material for review, coordinating with MSD on overlapping projects, and planning public outreach. A motion to adjourn passed and the meeting ended at 4:56 p.m.

The commission set its next meeting and asked members to review the provided materials so prioritization criteria can be discussed and refined.