FAQs
- Impervious areas are hard surfaces like driveways, pavement, rooftops and walkways. When a property is covered with impervious area, rain and snowmelt has fewer places to soak into the ground. This leads to more stormwater runoff.
- Surfaces such as roofs, driveways, parking areas, walkways and more can be measured for impervious area using aerial photography. This could be easily completed since the City already regularly generates aerial imagery of the entire City.
Residents have always contributed to funding our stormwater management system.
Currently the stormwater management program is funded through a storm water parcel tax, where each property is charged an equal amount to cover costs related to storm water management.
Rural properties can generate runoff and send pollutants like sediment and fertilizers into the stormwater system during rainstorms, which can negatively affect water quality in waterways.
Ditches, culverts and creeks are also part of the City’s stormwater management system and receive runoff from properties and the roadways used to access these properties. Ditches, culverts and creeks require regular inspection, cleaning and maintenance to keep them working efficiently
- Many municipalities across Canada provide stormwater credits and rebates to property owners who reduce the amount or improve the quality of stormwater that runs off their property.
- If the City changes how we pay for stormwater, different incentive programs would be considered. The City would need to balance the benefits of creating an incentive program against the administrative effort and costs associated with maintaining one.
- If the City changes how we pay for stormwater to a method that considers impervious area, non-residential properties and residential properties may be charged slightly differently.
- Measuring the exact hard surface for every property takes time and effort. For most homes, that level of detail isn’t needed because sizes are similar. Grouping homes into tiers makes the process easier and cost-effective.
But businesses and large multi-residential properties vary a lot – from small shops to big box stores – so measuring each one individually makes sense. This would give the City more accurate stormwater runoff estimates for individual businesses and improve fee fairness by charging large businesses with lots of hard surfaces more than small businesses.
What is impervious area?
How will hard or impervious surfaces be measured?
How is the City currently funding the stormwater system? Who is paying for this?
Why should I pay for stormwater management when I don’t have a stormwater connection to a storm sewer?
But what if I take measures on my property that reduce its impact on the stormwater system?
Would a new stormwater fee work the same for residents and businesses?