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Stormwater
If you have questions or concerns regarding stormwater, please call the City's 311 information line.
Stormwater Quality Management
To comply with amendments to the Clean Water Act, many small urban communities, including University Park, must take additional steps to protect waterways from polluted runoff to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the "maximum extent practicable."
City's Stormwater Management Plan
The City has produced a Stormwater Management Plan outlining the measures it will develop and implement over the next five years. These steps include methods to find and eliminate illicit discharges, modifying municipal operations that could lead to the discharge of pollutants, enforcement of construction and post-construction site erosion and runoff controls, and increasing public awareness.
Stormwater Quality Management for Residents
The term "stormwater" refers to rainwater. Rainwater flows down storm drains and empties into creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes. Unlike wastewater, it is untreated and can carry pollutants, sediments, trash, and pet waste directly to these waterways.
- Why should you care?
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As stormwater runoff travels over driveways, lawns, and sidewalks, it picks up a wide variety of chemicals, waste, and trash that are not naturally found in waterways. Stormwater runoff enters the storm drain system through inlets and discharges untreated into creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes. Local concerns include Turtle Creek and the ponds in Williams Park, Curtis Park, and Caruth Park.
Some chemicals and other substances in stormwater can be toxic, even at small levels. They endanger plants and animals that depend on the water to survive. Other items containing no chemicals like leaves and grass clippings decompose in our waterways and cause the same problems for fish and aquatic life. Soil, sand, and minerals used in landscaping can also cloud waterways. Again, that inhibits underwater plant growth and depletes oxygen levels.
- What can you do?
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Stormwater pollution can be controlled if everyone plays a part in preventing these substances from entering the storm drain inlets in the streets where they live and work.
Residents can help prevent stormwater pollution by:
- Picking up after your pets
- Asking your landscaper to avoid blowing leaves and grass clippings onto sidewalks and streets
- Applying fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides when rain is not expected
- Picking up litter
- Disposing of hazardous chemicals properly and notifying University Park's Public Works Department of construction sites that aren't properly controlling stormwater runoff
Contractors can also help prevent stormwater pollution at job sites. Here is some more information:
- Preventing stormwater pollution at construction sites (PDF)
- What is a stormwater pollution prevention plan (PDF)
View the calendar if you are interested in attending environmentally-focused events at Southern Methodist University.
If you have feedback regarding the City's stormwater programs that you would like to share, please email Jodie Ledat.
Another way you can help is to let us know if you see a spill or discharge. A spill is any release of material that threatens human health or the environment. An illicit discharge is any discharge to the City's storm sewer that is not composed entirely of stormwater, except discharges that are allowed by permit.
If you see oil, antifreeze, paint, or any other questionable material being spilled or intentionally dumped on the roadway or into a stormwater inlet, please contact Jodie Ledat at 214-987-5447 or by emailing Jodie Ledat.
Learn how you can make a big difference on our local waterways (PDF).
These websites provide a wealth of additional information on this subject:
Stormwater Utility Fee
The stormwater utility fee generates revenue to fund the City's stormwater management program. The program describes specific actions needed to manage stormwater quality and quantity in the city. The City developed the stormwater utility fee amount by applying specific rates to City zoning classifications. For example, all property parcels within zoning category SF-2 (Single Family 2) are billed $12.86, while parcels within SF-3 are charged $10.85. A more detailed description of the new utility fee is provided below in question-and-answer format.
- What is this charge on my water bill?
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That is the stormwater utility fee, which was approved by the University Park City Council in December 2003. The fee is designed to raise money to pay for federal- and state-required improvements to the city's stormwater, meaning any water that goes down the storm drain and ultimately into Turtle Creek and the Trinity River.
- What is impermeable or impermeable surface?
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"Impermeable" refers to hard surfaces, such as concrete or roofs, that do not allow water to permeate or infiltrate them. Impermeable surfaces result in the runoff, meaning water that drains off a piece of property and goes elsewhere.
- How was this fee amount determined?
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The stormwater utility fee is based on an approximate amount of impermeable surface for properties of the same zoning classification. For residential parcels, separate rates were developed for each zoning classification. An average residential unit (in this case, Single Family 4 zoning) was used as the basis for the fees. The proposed rate was divided by the average impervious area of the parcels in this class to determine the rate per square foot of impervious area. The resulting cost per square foot was used to set the other rate classes. Residential rates are based upon specific classes of residential land use, and each class is billed its own flat rate. Nonresidential customers are billed based on the maximum allowable impermeable area for that property under local development regulations.
The proposed residential rate structure is as follows. Duplex and multi-family properties will be billed on a per-unit basis.
Residential Monthly Rate
Zoning Class Month Rate Single Family 1 $40.56 Single Family 2 $12.86 Single Family 3 $10.85 Single Family 4 $10.06 Single Family Attached $8.04 Duplex District 1 $8.13 Duplex District 2 $5.92 Multi-Family $2.80 Nonresidential (i.e., commercial) properties are assessed at $0.0022 per square foot of the maximum allowable impermeable area for their property.
- How do I know what my zoning classification is?
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- Who approved the fee?
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The City Council approved the fee after extensive review by the Public Works and Finance Advisory Committees, City staff, and engineering consultants. Articles in the City newsletter and a public hearing in December 2003 preceded the final adoption by the Council.
- What is the resulting revenue used for?
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The fee's revenue is used to implement the City's stormwater management program. The program includes stormwater or drainage capital projects; operational costs, such as maintenance of storm sewers, ponds, and streams; and support for environmental compliance programs.
- Why did the city establish the stormwater utility?
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Before the fee, the City used general tax revenues to support its stormwater efforts. This pulls money away from projects and programs in other departments. Like many other Texas communities, the City is required to comply with the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Phase II program for Municipal Separate Storm Systems (MS4s). Many north Texas cities have had a stormwater utility fee in place for years.
- What is the advantage of a stormwater utility charge over property taxes as a source of funding?
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The City can generate funds in a more equitable manner. The utility fee allows the City to levy a charge that is proportional to the cost of stormwater service for that property. In contrast, with general taxes, each property owner pays the same percentage of their property tax rate to support the stormwater program, regardless of the amount of runoff their property generates. Under this approach, some entities also benefit from stormwater services but pay nothing.
- What is involved in stormwater management?
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Stormwater management involves control of stormwater quantity and quality. Stormwater quantity management focuses on managing the volume or amount of stormwater as well as the speed of runoff resulting from various storms. Stormwater quality management focuses on the prevention of water pollution by requiring best management practices for various activities, including construction.
Municipalities and utility districts utilize best management practices, including development policies, capital projects to construct stormwater sewers, ditches, and basins, and operational practices to ensure stormwater management. The goals of these efforts are improved drainage, prevention of flood damage, and improved water quality.
For More Information
- Tom Tvardzik, Director of Finance
Phone: 214-987-5326 - Jodie Ledat, Operations Manager
Phone: 214-987-5447 - Jacob Speer, Director of Public Works
Phone: 214-987-5400 - City Hall
Phone: 214-363-1644