Moses Lake discusses storm water plan

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake introduced a lower rate for residents to pay for a mandated storm water treatment program.

The new proposed fee is based on recommendations from citizens on how to reduce the annual cost of the plan.

Previously is was estimated the annual cost would be about $700,000.

After reviewing the proposed budget, staff reduced it to $648,000, said City Manager Joe Gavinski. The cost was reduced by extending a five year equipment loan to 10 years and by reducing the street sweeper budget.

The mandate is being imposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state Department of Ecology (DOE), requiring several ?cities to treat their storm water before ?it enters the water supply and bodies of water.

The new proposed utility rate is $2.50 per month per residential lot, he said. Previously the cost was estimated to be $3 per month.

The formula to determine the rate is the average amount of impervious surface, which is an area where water does not filter through such as gravel, concrete, pools and roofs. The average amount of impervious surface per home was determined to be 4,000 square feet by city staff.

The commercial rate is the amount of impervious surface divided by 4,000 square feet and multiplied by the residential rate.

A cap is proposed on commercial rates once they reach more than 96,000 square feet of impervious surface.

During the Tuesday study session, Legislative Assistant Kyle Lynch spoke on behalf of Rep. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake.

He said she was unable to attend the meeting so he read from a statement Warnick approved.

Lynch explained there are some options available for the city to fund the storm water treatment plan. He said the DOE may have $10 million to $20 million available to distribute to cities statewide to fund their plans.

Lynch said Gov. Christine Gregoire was bombarded with concerns from cities required to fund the plan. He said the governor met with the DOE. After the meeting it was determined it could be possible for some of the requirements to be pushed back three to four years upon request.

Gavinski said they were looking into the options to see if the requirements could be pushed back and if the plan could be wholly or partially funded by the state.

He explained there is not a definite deadline to implement a plan. As long as the city is taking steps, fines of non-compliance will not be imposed.

Councilmember Richard Pearce said the city needs to try to obtain state funding to possibly lower the monthly rates of the impending utility fee.

On behalf of National Frozen Foods, Gary Ash asked the council to have mercy on industry with regard to the fee. He said often times businesses are left to foot the bill of fees to keep the rates low for citizens.

He said the business re-located to Moses Lake to escape excessive fees imposed at their previous location.

Mayor Ron Covey said council was not prepared to make a decision and would continue to review the plan and potential solutions.