Stormwater upkeep is important. Therefore; maintaining it is important. “The roads that we travel every day have stormwater systems that must be managed and maintained so that you can travel safely, even in the worst of storms. Maintenance is also important because we all depend on our streams and rivers to provide drinking water and safe recreational areas for our community.” (Athens-Clarke County Unified Government).

That’s the reason some counties need a fee.This fee has some history. On October 18, 1972, the Clean Water Act, or Federal Water Pollution Act of 1972, was enacted “… to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.” This fee ensures people that their communities and HOAs are working hard to make sure that the water in their area is protected.

If you live in a county that does charge a fee, here are a few things that fee pays for: “fulfilling our Federal and State permit requirements, water quality sampling, illicit discharge detection and prevention, cleaning of storm drains, curbs, swales, and stormwater pipes, flood reduction projects, stormwater infrastructure maintenance and mapping, construction site erosion prevention and site inspections, and education programs and trainings.” (Athens-Clarke County Unified Government).

One of the biggest threats to our nation’s water is nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution “is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters” (epa.gov). Because of that, the federal government has required communities to meet guidelines, which is why, in some cases, there is a fee.

That is a little bit of the reason for the stormwater utility fee and a few more reasons why knowledge and upkeep of stormwater are so important. Always check with your local government in Charlotte NC as they are set, regulate, and enforce stormwater their regulations combined with the state and federal laws.

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