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District Proposes Regulations for Stormwater Fee Discount Program

Friday, July 29, 2011
Proposed Regulations Published in Today’s D.C. Register

The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) has proposed and published regulations to establish a stormwater fee discount program for District property owners who install green practices that retain stormwater run-off.

The proposed regulations are published in today’s D.C. Register, Volume 58/30.

According to DDOE, the proposed regulations will allow District residents and businesses to receive a discount of up to 55% on the stormwater fee that appears on their monthly DC Water bill.  Discounts will be awarded in return for installing measures such as rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, drainable pavement, and green roofs that capture and retain stormwater runoff.

“The scale of the stormwater challenge in the District is enormous and we will need everyone to help ensure that our local waterways are clean and healthy,”  says Christophe A.G. Tulou, Director of DDOE.  “I am thrilled that we have proposed regulations that will reward and encourage our residents and businesses to take proactive measures to reduce the adverse impact of stormwater runoffs.”

The District’s stormwater fee is based on a property’s amount of impervious – or hard – surface, such as rooftops, driveways, and patios.  This impervious surface prevents rainwater from draining naturally and, as a result, creating stormwater runoff that carries pollution to our waterways.  The stormwater fee manages and treats pollution caused by stormwater runoff.  Installing measures that capture and retain stormwater runoff reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and pollution as well as the amount of work necessary to meet federal pollution control requirements.

DDOE will begin to accept applications for the discount upon finalization of these regulations and will apply the discount retroactively, up to May 1, 2009, for stormwater retention practices that were previously installed.

A 30-day period of review and comment follows publication of these proposed regulations.  All comments are due no later than Monday, September 16, 2011.  Comments must be in writing and directed to Jeff Seltzer, DDOE Associate Director for Stormwater Management, at 1200 First Street NE, 6th Floor, Washington D.C. 20002, by US mail, or via email to [email protected].