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Lacey staff outline stormwater strategic plan, warn of new permit requirements and rate scenarios
Summary
City stormwater staff presented the Stormwater Strategic Plan update, explained permit drivers (2024-2029 cycle), identified new priorities including water-quality retrofits and 6PPD impacts on salmon, and previewed two rate scenarios for single-family homes above the current $15.46 rate.
City stormwater staff on July 28 introduced a Stormwater Strategic Plan that updates the utilitys programmatic approach and ties future capital and operations to the 2024-2029 permit cycle.
"This plan uses the city's comprehensive plan goals to guide the long term goals of our stormwater utility," said Royce Young, the city's stormwater permit coordinator. He told council the utility manages more than 7,000 storm inlets, about 150 miles of conveyance pipe and more than 50 regional facilities, and that the plan focuses on water quality, flooding, and compliance with state requirements.
Staff identified priority technical issues that the plan addresses, including water-quality retrofits for existing development, PFAS in firefighting foam, PCBs in building materials, and a new contaminant (6PPD quinone) that staff said can form from tire additives and kill salmon when it runs off into surface water. Young said the plan uses a two-level service framework (required vs. recommended) and proposes staffing increases (about 2.5 new FTEs by 2035 and additional operations FTEs) to meet the work.
On finance, staff displayed a comparative chart showing Lacey's current single-family stormwater rate at $15.46 and two recommended scenarios: a grant-funded scenario (about a 9.5% increase, roughly $1.46 more per household) and a non-grant-funded scenario (about an 11% increase, roughly $1.70 more). Staff said grant programs (typically with ~15% local match) will be pursued but construction readiness and project maturity are the key factors in award decisions.
Council members asked several clarifying questions about how commercial rates are calculated, the likely availability of state grant funds (staff said Ecology's stormwater account has been about $30 million per biennium historically), and whether a chosen rate scenario would materially change grant likelihood (staff said it would not). Staff said a deep-dive rate discussion will return to council on Aug. 25.
