The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sonja Lewis, Staff
November 30, 2000--Fayetteville officials are exploring the establishment of a storm water program aimed at protecting area waters from polluted runoff.
Discussions are only in the early stages. Storm water management was among the topics discussed at last week's City Council retreat at Callaway Gardens.
Fayetteville has long required developers to build retention ponds to catch storm water before it floods local streams. But the city has no storm water quality ordinance in place.
A storm water utilities program could take the form of a monthly fee for residents. It could be used to fund a storm water system and pay for its maintenance and improvement.
If a fee were implemented, Fayetteville would join the communities of Decatur, Gainesville and Griffin.
An estimated $750,000 to $1.3 million could be collected annually, depending on the type of program established, City Council members were told by Ron Felder, an engineer at Integrated Science & Engineering. The start-up costs of implementing a program would be between $200,000 and $250,000, Felder said.
Several Fayetteville representatives expressed a desire to begin laying the groundwork for a storm water quality program before the Georgia Legislature issues mandates on resolving dirty water woes.
"We ought to be taking care of this anyway. The local government needs to have some, if not the ultimate, involvement in this area," said City Manager Joe Morton.
Felder told the council that it's important to include the community in discussions about the process of developing a storm water quality plan..
Fayetteville Mayor Kenneth Steele suggested at the retreat that the council first try to understand the problem and then decide whether to move forward with a feasibility study.
Copyright 2000 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
