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Riverside officials are considering hiring a consultant to create a 30-year storm water master plan for the city.
The cost of the study is projected to cost between $150,000 and $200,000 and take at least a year to complete, City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said.
Mitch Miller, Riverside’s director of public services, said the city’s infrastructure is between 60 and 80 years old. It’s not the slow, gentle rain that causes problems for the city, but the quick downpours, he said.
The city spends approximately $200,000 to $250,000 annually for storm water management, which is about 15 percent of the Public Service Department’s budget. That money is spent on repair and replacement of existing infrastructure.
“(The repairs are) all cosmetic and we’re not dealing with the real issues that need addressed,” Miller said. “We don’t have a plan in place to change the fundamental issues that are at hand, and a long-term, proactive plan would do that.”
Chodkowski said he expects to make a presentation to city council next month. If council approves, the study would begin in 2014, and there would be option for an additional year.
Funds from the city’s fund balance would be used to pay for the study, Chodkowski said.
Riverside was discussing a revenue source to cover existing storm water management expenses, "but now we're talking about a much more comprehensive plan," Chodkowski said.
The scope of work would include: update inventory of existing storm system; identification of problem areas and key issues; recommended enhancement and system upgrades; and a financial analysis.
“It would be a key resource as we look to address the storm water issues city-wide and long term,” Chodkowski said.
Mayor Bill Flaute said if the study helps fix the issues at Lily Creek and Marianne/Ingleside — two of the city’s 15 identified problem areas — then “it’s definitely a conversation we have to have.”
“That’s a lot of money to tell us how we can do storm water runoff,” Flaute said. “I think it’s going to say, ‘This is what you need to do and it’s going to cost a whole bunch of money.’ But we’ve got to do something.”
Chodkowski said the study would reveal “big revenues and big expenses,” but it’s too early to tell what those figures would be. Revenue could come from a storm water utility tax, federal and state grants, and/or the general fund, he said.
The total square footage of all roofs in the city is nearly 13.3 million, which does not include sheds or detached garages. The public portions of the storm water system maintained by the city include 64 miles of pipe, 1,234 catch basins and 1,182 manholes.
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