Stormwater Utility To Manage Street Flooding … At A Cost

EL PASO — Thelocal Public Service Boardon Wednesday set rates for a new stormwater utility system which seeks to address future storm drainage issues.

Homeowners and business owners will see the surcharges reflected in their water bills starting in March of next year, city officials said.

The breakdown of the extra costs are as follows:

Those who own a homeof a size that is1,200 square feet or less will pay an additional $2.38 per month. Those who own a home that is between 1,201 and 3,000 square feet will pay $4.75 more each month. Those who own homes that are larger than 3,000 square feet will be subjected to additional monthly charge of $9.50. Business owners will be charged $4.85 for every 2,000 square feet of building space they own. Also subject to the fee are parking lots, which could leave some businesses paying as much as $1,000 more per month in water bills.

The new surcharges are an outgrowth of the heavy flooding in August of 2006, when more than three hundred homes and businesses were lostdue to water damage.

After that emergency, City Council voted to form the stormwater utility to manage future flooding emergencies.