CHAPTER 8

SOURCES OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The successful creation or maintenance of stormwater utility programs by city and county governments in the State of Florida requires governmental officials to understand a variety of stormwater management issues. They must also provide the vision and leadership necessary to successfully match public expectations and needs with the ability of the utility to raise sufficient funds in a practical, yet equitable, manner. Methods used to create and/or maintain the utility, however, will vary with the needs and characteristics of the local government.

Variations in the methods used to create and/or maintain a city or county stormwater utility can be attributed to the following:

• Stormwater management issues of importance are defined locally (e.g., flood control, nuisance drainage problems, receiving water quality).
• Geographic characteristics of the utility service area can vary dramatically (e.g., land use types, hydrologic soil groups, and topographic/hydrographic characteristics).
• Capital, operational and maintenance requirements of the existing and future stormwater management program vary with each utility.
• The adequacy of existing sources of stormwater management funds, and their ability to be used in the future, varies with each utility.
• The presence of an existing utility bill collection system (e.g., water, wastewater, and electrical power) that has the same customer base as the stormwater utility may be modified to collect stormwater utility bills.
• Local public acceptance of the stormwater utility, and the perceived equitableness of various utility billing rate structures and sources of existing billing data, will influence how the stormwater utility is created and maintained.

Since the methods used to create and/or maintain a stormwater utility vary with each application, it may not be appropriate for a city or county government to simply adopt the approach used by another local government. Rather, it is often desirable to obtain technical assistance from one or more outside sources when creating or maintaining a stormwater utility. These outside sources of assistance include various professional and community organizations; regional, state, and federal agencies; and legal, financial, and engineering consultants.

In addition to outside sources of technical assistance, new utilities can obtain assistance from entities within the local government that are not typically associated with the provision of traditional stormwater management services. These governmental entities can provide assistance in the creation and maintenance of the stormwater utility database, development of a stormwater utility budget, distribution of utility bills, and collection of utility funds. These governmental entities could include the Property Appraiser's Office, and governmental departments that operate an existing non-stormwater utility, regulate new development, or provide services related in some fashion to stormwater management, such as mosquito control.

This chapter describes various sources of technical assistance available to local governments to create and/or maintain a stormwater utility. Of particular importance is assistance that can be obtained from the Florida Stormwater Association (FSA), formerly known as the Florida Association of Stormwater Utilities (FASU). FSA is an organization formed specifically to support stormwater utilities in the State of Florida. Also described herein are various state and federal governmental agencies that can provide information important to the creation of utility databases; the definition of infrastructure management, operation and funding requirements; and the provision of educational materials, which could be useful in a local public information program. These state and federal government information sources include the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP); the Northwest Florida, St. John's River, South Florida, Southwest Florida, and Suwannee River Water Management Districts (NWFWMD, SJRWMD, SFWMD, SWFWMD and SRWMD, respectively); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.), among others.

The chapter also describes various local government and professional organizations that support the creation of stormwater utilities or are active in the management and operation of city and county stormwater infrastructure systems. The group includes the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Finally, information is provided on outside funding sources available to city and county governments within the State of Florida, as related to the provision of stormwater management services.

8.1 Florida Stormwater Association (FSA)
8.2 Other Sources of Assistance and/or Technical Data
8.3 Sources of Funding