AGAWAM – Residents and businesses in Agawam may soon have to pay a stormwater utility fee to fund necessary maintenance work surrounding the city’s stormwater system.

The Agawam Citizen Stormwater Advisory Task Force – which explores the city’s stormwater management program and identifies its major needs, priorities and costs – recently recommended implementing a stormwater utility fee with the purpose of funding stormwater system needs. The stormwater system would be treated like a utility with a dedicated enterprise fund and revenue from user fees.

“Not unlike bridges throughout the state, we’ve ignored them for so long we’re now in a stage where everybody is replacing bridges – well, it’s the same with the stormwater system,” said Agawam Mayor William Sapelli. “The stormwater system is underground, so it’s out of sight, out of mind. Some of these lines are over 70 years old and collapsing, so the water has nowhere to go and therefore backs up. That’s why we have street flooding.”

The city currently needs an additional $2 million to $3 million per year to replace aging infrastructure and comply with new state mandates implemented by the Green Water Infrastructure portion of the Clean Water Act, Sapelli explained.

“Some of the new regulations involve things like making sure the basins are cleaned annually, the reason being because dirt and sand get in there and clog the pipes underground which stops the water from processing through to the designated areas,” he said. “So, the designated drains have to be cleaned every year and the streets have to be swept so many times per year. When you do things like that, it costs money.”

Because the city does not have a fund that specifically addresses stormwater issues, any money geared toward stormwater-related maintenance comes from the regular budget.

The task force recommended using one of two methods for calculating the costs of the fee, said Sapelli. The first is to follow an impervious surface formula, which dictates how much surface a resident or business has and charges them accordingly. The other is to implement a flat fee, tied to the sewer and water bill, based upon every 1,000 square feet of impervious surface on a developed parcel.

“We had our DPW do a study  and we looked at the cost – we’ve been working on this for probably a year and a half now,” said Sapelli. “They’ve been studying what needs to be done and how we could possibly fund these projects.”

The City Council will discuss the proposed stormwater fee and hear a presentation at 7 p.m. at its Sept. 17 meeting at the Roberta G. Doering School.

“Unfortunately, I know people aren’t happy when there’s a fee. But, whenever you get out in your car and drive on the streets or walk around, it benefits you that we take care of our infrastructure needs,” said the mayor. “When you’re part of a community, those are the things you have to step up and do, and make sure everything is done the way it should be. Taxes go toward amenities that may not directly address you, but at one time they did or at one point  maybe they will.”