Stormwater Utility – Coming Soon?

Start with our FAQs to learn more about the terms, the fees involved, and the facts around what is being considered and why.

Stormwater Utility Implementation Plan

On May 8, 2023, the Board of Commissioners authorized moving forward with development of a stormwater utility implementation plan. The implementation plan will address several items to be resolved before the Board of Commissioners considers whether to adopt a stormwater utility.

City staff will work with engineering consultant AECOM to develop the implementation plan. This plan will recommend and provide details related to:

• the total amount of funds needed to support stormwater operations, maintenance, and capital improvements
• the rate to be charged per stormwater billing unit (SWBU)
• potential avenues for mitigating costs to property owners
• establishment of the billing mechanism and frequency
• establishment of a program through which property owners may earn stormwater credits by adopting best management practices
• set up of an appeals system

The implementation plan also will support public engagement efforts and provide a property locator tool that will allow property owners to determine their projected annual stormwater utility fee.

The City anticipates being able to share the implementation plan recommendations with commissioners and public in the Spring 2024.

If adopted, the City of Rehoboth Beach’s stormwater utility is expected to be implemented in April 2025, and fees would begin to be assessed.

The impacts of global warming and sea level rise are becoming more clear and occurring more frequently. And as a coastal city, Rehoboth Beach is more vulnerable to those impacts. Stormwater management will be increasingly important to climate resiliency and to effectively addressing rising seas levels, heavier rainfalls, and other impacts of global warming.

The stormwater from Rehoboth Beach flows into our lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. As a resort community heavily dependent on tourism, it’s imperative that we ensure that our lakes are healthy, the ocean clean, and our beach pristine.

Effective stormwater management is not an inexpensive undertaking, and the City of Rehoboth Beach has identified several capital projects that will improve how our community manages stormwater, the water from rain or melting snow that runs off properties into lawns, streets, lakes, and the ocean – often bringing pollutants along with it. The city does not have sufficient funding in its general budget to effectively maintain and enhance stormwater tools and facilities. That’s why it is considering establishing a stormwater utility.

More than 2,000 communities across the nation have established stormwater utilities to provide stable and adequate funding to address stormwater management issues such as:

• aging infrastructure
• erosion and flooding
• water quality
• climate change impacts
• preservation of property values.

Effective stormwater management:

• reduces pollutants that reach surface waters
• reduces flooding risks
• protects people and property
• supports a healthy ocean and lakes
• protects wildlife habitats
• increases a community’s quality of life.