Show All Answers

1. What is stormwater?

Stormwater is water from rain or melted snow or ice that doesn't soak into the ground because of impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, parking lots and roads.

2. Where does stormwater go?

Stormwater flows into storm drains and through pipes underground into nearby surface ponds before ending up in lakes and other natural water sources. Maple Grove has 335 miles of stormwater pipes leading to 1,500 surface ponds that are regularly maintained.

3. Is stormwater clean?

Stormwater is not always clean, but it is cleaned and treated by ponds before it goes to lakes and streams. When stormwater makes its way to ponds from homes, parking lots, and roads, it takes sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, trash, and other pollutants with it.

4. What happens to the water in storm ponds?

Stormwater that is cleaned eventually flows to lakes and other natural sources. However, polluted stormwater in ponds can create a pollutant buildup, resulting in less water stored. Though the city's storm system is designed to prevent flooding, the pollutant buildup and the pond holding less water can cause flooding in nearby neighborhoods and communities. In addition, stormwater can negatively affect the quality of drinking water, destroy wildlife habitat, and cause increased erosion.

5. Can stormwater be cleaned?

Yes, but it is costly.Sediment and other pollutants need to be removed from the water by ponds before draining into lakes and streams. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency requires cities to maintain their storm system so water going into natural resources like lakes and rivers is clean before entering.

6. Why do we need a stormwater fee?

As previously mentioned, maintenance of stormwater ponds is expensive. The sediment removal and cleaning process involved requires periodic dredging of ponds, and based upon the age of the city's system, state permits currently require ongoing monitoring and maintenance. In addition, the city's storm system and its storm drains need to be repaired and replaced regularly.

7. How much will the fee cost?

The monthly utility fee for stormwater ranges from city to city. Based upon Maple Grove's anticipated budget for city operations and maintenance, the fee is estimated at $5.50 per month for a residential home. Commercial, industrial, and institutional properties will be calculated based on the amount of impervious surface located on that property.

8. Do other cities have this fee?

Yes, most cities in the metropolitan area have a stormwater utility fee. Neighboring cities such as Plymouth and Brooklyn Park have stormwater utlity fees of $7.34 and $5.39 per month, respectively. In total, there are 204 cities in the state of Minnesota that have this utility fee, creating a median rate of $6.29 per month for a residential property.

9. How will this fee be charged?

This utility fee will be added to residents' normal quarterly utility bill. The fee will be shown as a line item on the bill.

10. What are the next steps?

The city will initiate this fee in the first quarter of 2022. Residents need not take any action as the fee will appear on their normal utility bill.