New Program to Add Fees to Meet the Costs of Managing Storm Water

Robert L. Collings published an article in The Legal Intelligencer, “New Program to Add Fees to Meet the Costs of Managing Storm Water.” Collings is co-chair of Schnader’s Energy & Environmental Practice Group and co-chair of the Sustainability and Environmental Services Practice Group.

The old expression “you never know the worth of water till the well runs dry” is clearly supported by current conditions in the Southwest, but the worth of water can have a different meaning in the Eastern United States. We have seen more precipitation and downpours which cause floods when the rainfall cannot be absorbed into the soil quickly enough. What is the worth of water then? The cost of flood damage, the structures to manage or treat the toxicity of the discharges contributing to those floods, and perhaps increased storage if the rainfall is not being stored naturally by absorption. But what happens when existing storm sewers deteriorate, or when changing conditions (infilling with more ground cover) require major upgrades to such systems? How do those changes happen and who bears the costs?

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