Council considers stormwater authority

NORRISTOWN » The looming problem of stormwater management was addressed in a presentation delivered by Municipal Administrator Crandall Jones at Norristown Council’s last work session.

Jones outlined the deficiencies of the municipality’s storm sewer system and suggested Council look into forming a utility dedicated to its upkeep and maintenance. Council agreed and voted to issue an RFQ (request for qualifications) to solicit expert analysis.

“Most of the materials that we have in our inlets and manholes are bricks and concrete, as it should be,” said Jones.

“But most of the materials that make up our sewer pipe are terra cotta, clay, corrugated metal pipe,

and concrete.

“The problem is they have a 30 to 40-year useful life, and what’s happening is they’ve been under there for way longer than their intended lifespan with no program for maintenance or improvement.”

Jones said Public Works Director Thomas Odenigbo has been systematically driving the streets of Norristown to monitor the problem and often sees surface damage caused by unchanneled water flowing underground with no place to go.

Jones showed slides of the growing number of road depressions and sinkholes that have started showing up on Norristown thoroughfares, which public works has been covering with metal plates.

Preliminary coring on roadways slated for repaving under the municipality’s capital improvement plan has shown that a variety of different materials have been used as underlayment for the streets, necessitating unique approaches toward each repair. “Part of the reason why we feel it’s important to address these issues is because if we don’t get a handle on our stormwater issues what we’re going to be doing with our road improvements is just throwing our money away,” Jones said.

Jones said the municipality’s current approach has been reactive. If something broke, they fixed it accordingly, with money from the general fund associated with public works. But that way of addressing the issue has been taking away from routine operations. “Stormwater maintenance is a lot less expensive than reconstruction,” Jones said.

According to Jones, a stormwater authority could be established using the existing structure of the Norristown Municipal Waste/ Sewer Authority — which the municipality is currently looking to sell — and the authority would generate a dedicated stream of revenue for stormwater improvements, equipment, and staffing.

One of the advantages of a sewer authority is that “everybody pays” — including tax-free entities — because the associated fees would be calculated using a property’s impervious surface area, Jones said, adding that property owners could make certain improvements to lessen the impact of a stormwater fee.

Jones also pointed out that the establishment of the utility would not count against the municipality’s debt service and would eliminate the need for Council to raise taxes for stormwater-related issues.

“The tax dollars that are siphoned off from public works can now be used for their intended purpose,” Jones added.

Jones said federal or state grant funding for the authority may be available, and from his prior experience, he would expect a rough estimate of about $6 per month in stormwater fees per the average Norristown taxpayer.

Jones suggested the next step would be for Council to establish a public forum to get feedback from the community and use the expertise of the consultant retained by the RFQ to hold education sessions, take rate recommendations, and help draft the necessary resolutions, ordinances and other documentation.