AGAWAM – The City of Agawam may soon implement a stormwater utility fee in an effort to fund necessary maintenance work for the system.

Agawam is gearing up to comply with recently ramped up United States Environmental Protection Agency stormwater regulations, which now require towns to conduct more frequent street sweepings, inspections and cleaning of storm components, as well as testing of discharge waters. The EPA’s intent is to clean up local waterways.

As with any scenario relating to new regulations, the question of funding comes into play.

Mayor William Sapelli told Reminder Publishing the town is leaning toward imposing a utility fee, much like that of a sewer or water fee.

“These things have always been something the towns knew had to be done, but until these regulations, quite frankly, it was kind of ignored. We realize we’re going to have to dedicate some money to this, and there’s a couple of ways you can do that,” he said. “One, is to increase taxes so you have more revenue in the town account to cover that – but the danger is, when you do that, it goes in the general fund. After a while, you start diverting the money to other needs, whereas, a utility is earmarked for stormwater only and it locks you in.”

The Agawam storm sewer system consists of approximately 4,757 storm drains, 122 miles of drainpipe and 2,352 manholes – all of which is maintained by the Department of Public Works. The system is designed to convey rainwater from hard, impermeable services, known as “runoff,” to one of over 500 outlets that discharge to ponds, streams, lakes and rivers throughout the city.

Because most of the components of the storm system are underground, it’s easy for failing infrastructure to go unnoticed, said Sapelli.

“Unfortunately, it’s like ‘out of sight, out of mind,’” he stated. “We don’t think about it until something happens, and then we realize we have to do something about it.”

Currently, the Town spends close to $900,000 annually to manage the stormwater program –covering labor, equipment and subcontractor costs for a variety of services.

To meet program needs for the next five years, the town estimates that an additional $1-to-2 million are needed to bring infrastructure up to sustainable conditions.

Some of the infrastructure repairs needed include crumbling outfalls and disintegrating pipes.

“This is just percolating, and there’s going to be more. Is the public aware of it? Not necessarily – unless the neighborhood they are in is affected. But are they willing to fund it? That’s going to be our battle,” said Sapelli. “Quite frankly, that’s what communities are about – it might not be your neighborhood this week, but we all need to chip in for the betterment of the community.”

The Agawam Stormwater Advisory Task Force – which formed in 2017 to determine the future maintenance needs of the storm system and research additional funding options – has been tasked with determining the best possible funding solution for the upcoming projects.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Christopher Golba echoed Sapelli’s sentiments, claiming a utility fee would be the best option for both the town and residents.

“I think a utility is a good option because it would create an enterprise fund similar to a water or sewer fund, and those funds would be allocated directly toward the storwmater system,” he said. “We want it to be transparent with where the money is going. We would be more proactive, and again, the transparency and accountability would be there.”

Since the main factor in the amount of stormwater runoff and infrastructure use is based on the amount of hard or impervious surfaces, the proposed utility would charge a fee based on the amount of hard surfaces per property.

Properties with good stormwater management could also qualify for reduction in fees.

Sapelli said the Task Force is preparing to introduce the idea of the utility fee to the City Council in the near future.

“My biggest fear and concern with regard to the City Council having to approve this is they’re going to be reluctant because they’ll be concerned – as we all are – with residents and how much they’ll have to contribute out-of-pocket,” he commented. “But, our point in this is we’ve got to stop being reactive and start being proactive. We need this funding desperately.”

As part of a new marketing campaign to raise awareness surrounding these issues, the Task Force recently launched an online video – with the assistance of Moonshadow Media and consultant Rich Niles – explaining the mechanics of the system, as well as future maintenance and funding requirements. It also includes testimonials from various residents, business owners and municipal officials.

To view the video, or to learn more about the Stormwater Task Force, visit http://www.agawam.ma.us/279/Stormwater.