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Spring Garden briefed on forming stormwater authority to address deteriorating pipes
Summary
Consultants told commissioners the township has extensive aging storm infrastructure (about 880,000 ft of storm sewer), recommended a pipe condition assessment and ERU mapping, and said forming a stormwater authority could provide a funding mechanism though it requires legal, budgetary and outreach steps.
Consultants and staff briefed Spring Garden Township commissioners on stormwater infrastructure and the potential to form a stormwater authority to fund maintenance and replacement.
The consultant showed photos of corroded corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) and warned that pipe rust‑out can lead to road settlement and sinkholes. He said the township's mapped storm system has roughly 880,000 feet of pipe and that attempting to replace 2% of the system per year would require on the order of a few hundred thousand dollars annually; because the township is behind on replacements, actual annual needs could be considerably larger.
The consultant recommended beginning with a condition assessment—using pole cameras and video inspection to assign condition ratings and confirm pipe sizes—followed by an impervious‑area survey to compute equivalent residential units (ERUs). He estimated a residential ERU at about 3,000 square feet of impervious area per parcel and described options for fee structures (per ERU, tiered rates and credits for maintained BMPs such as rain gardens).
On governance and scope, the presenter said the township would need to decide whether an authority's responsibilities would be limited to infrastructure ownership and maintenance or would also encompass MS4 permit compliance and BMP implementation; expanding scope would broaden costs and obligations. He noted legal questions remain about assessments and tax‑exempt parcels, referencing a contested Westchester case on appeal.
Practical next steps discussed included: staff‑led pipe condition assessments that can begin without formal board action, proposals for aerial surveys to refine ERU calculations (best done in leaf‑off season), and the need to budget and authorize engineering work if the township elects to form a stormwater authority. The board raised timing and budget questions; the consultant advised starting the condition assessment now and returning with cost estimates and a proposed timeline for any authority formation.
What’s next: staff and consultants will prepare proposals and cost estimates for a pipe condition assessment and, if desired, a later aerial survey and authority formation process; formal budget authorization would be required before larger expenditures such as aerial flights or engineering contracts.
