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1. Why do we have a stormwater service?

The origins of stormwater service in the United States can be traced back to an incident which occurred on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River. In 1936, the river caught fire when the spark of a blow torch ignited the floating oils and debris. The Cuyahoga River caught fire again in 1952 causing over $1 million in damages to boats and a riverfront property.  During the 1960s, the lower part of the river had become saturated with debris, oils, sludge, industrial wastes, and sewage. National attention was brought to the river when another fire occurred on June 22, 1969. Time Magazine wrote and article about the fire and described the Cuyahoga River as the river that "oozes rather than flows" and in which a person "does not drown but decays." The national coverage led to a series of pollution control activities which ultimately resulted in the Clean Water Act and the creation of the federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies.

In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed and remains today as the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States. The goal of the Clean Water Act was nothing less then the restoration and maintenance of the nation's waters so that they could support "the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife, and recreation in and on the water."

The initial focus of the Clean Water Act was on the source of pollution. Discharges from industry and municipal sewage facilities as well as those which could be identified as coming from a specific source or point were the primary concern. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) provides a permit program which continues address the pollution today. After years of issuing NPDES permits and regulating dischargers, it became evident that stormwater runoff was also a serious contributor to the problem of maintaining water quality.

In 1987, the Water Quality Act was passed, and the EPA required states to regulate stormwater runoff and to prepare nonpoint source management programs. The nonpoint programs were intended to manage nondirect sources of pollution such as stormwater. One of the biggest sources of pollution and the number one threat to surface water quality is stormwater runoff.

The City of Winston-Salem is a Phase I community (a population over 100,000).  As a result, the City of Winston-Salem has been mandated under the Water Quality Act of 1987 to develop a stormwater management program. The city received an NPDES permit and began its stormwater utility program in 1995.

Phase II expands the scope of the NPDES program to include smaller local governments serving populations of less than 100,000 (a population of 1,000 people or more per square mile). The stormwater Phase II program requires most municipalities and local governments to obtain NPDES permit coverage. These local governments have been mandated to establish a stormwater management program. The program indicates the development and implementation of six specified measures which assist in the reduction of stormwater pollution. These include the following: 

1. Public Education and Outreach on Storm Water
    Impacts
2. Public Involvement and Participation
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
4. Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control
5. Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment
6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations 

City Code Chapter 75  authorizes the charging of a stormwater fee

Sec. 75-43. Stormwater management system utility.

Pursuant to state law the city hereby designates the stormwater management system as a utility, enterprise activity of the city to be supported all or in part by the imposition of user fees on all developed parcels of property within the city which discharges stormwater to the storm drainage facilities or are otherwise served by the storm drainage facilities.

(Ord. No. 4536, § 3, 10-24-05)

For more information regarding the stormwater problem and the stormwater department, visit our webpage.

2. Where does the money go?

The Storm Water Fee pays for storm water programs in Winston-Salem. A portion of all Winston-Salem stormwater revenue goes to citywide efforts to reduce flood risks, improve water quality, and restore streams. Drainage systems inside the City includes channels, pipes, storm drains, and culverts on private property and in the street right-of-way. 

For property owners inside the City, approximately:

73% of fee revenue goes to storm water projects inside the City limits
15% of fee revenue goes to NPDES compliance related efforts
12% of fee revenue goes to administrative and billing costs

3. Which department provides the stormwater service?

The Stormwater Division of Traffic Field Operations is responsible for administrating and executing the City of Winston-Salem’s stormwater plans.

Contact Us

Stormwater, City of Winston-Salem
Suite 53, City Hall, 101 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Mail to P.O.Box 2511, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2511
Voice (336) 748-3070, Fax (336) 748-3173

4. How can a property owner find out more information about their bill?

To find out more about your stormwater bill, please contact the Stormwater Collections and the Stormwater Collections staff can be reached at (336) 748-3221.

5. How often will a citizen get billed for stormwater service?

It depends on whether the citizen has residential or non-residential property. A non-residential citizen typically owns a commercial business, industrial firm, or is a landlord who rents the property. A residential citizen owns a single-family homeowner property.

Residential customers are billed bi-monthly and the stormwater fee will appear on the normal utility bill (see next FAQ). If the citizen does not have another utility service such as water or sewer then he will receive a separate stormwater bill.

Non-residential citizens will be billed monthly, and the stormwater fee will appear on their normal utility bill. If the citizen does not have another utility service such as water or sewer, then he will receive a separate stormwater bill. With landlord/tenant relationships, the tenant may receive the utility bill, but a separate stormwater bill may be sent to the landlord. This situation requires special arrangements/documentation with the Stormwater Collections Department.

6. Where is the stormwater fee located the customer's bill?

The citizen can locate their current stormwater fee on their utility bill as a separate line item labeled “Stormwater Fee”. If they do not have other utility services they will receive a separate stormwater bill. For questions regarding your stormwater bill, please contact the Stormwater Collections staff at 336-748-3221.

7. What happens if the stormwater fee is not paid?

The April 16 and June 18, 2007 amendments to Ordinance Sections 75-45 and 75-46 of the City Code allows the termination of water utility services for non-payment of stormwater fees. In other words, the customer’s water may be cut-off for non-payment of stormwater fees.

8. Why has the stormwater fee changed?

City Code Chapter 75 (45-46) describes the billing and collection methods in effect for stormwater service management fees. An amendment has been made to the current code which further clarifies the billing processes and to provides enforcement options for delinquent storm water accounts.

Residential storm water charges are currently billed through the Utility Billing System and collected when payment is made for utility services. Non-residential stormwater is billed through a separate system. By the end of the current fiscal year, all non-residential storm water accounts will be billed through the Utility Billing System, allowing staff to bill, track, and collect all stormwater charges from one central system. Any delinquent storm water balances owed at the time of system transition will be moved and billed in the new system. 

9. Why did the residential fee change from a flat rate to a tiered rate?

The previous residential stormwater fee was simply a flat rate of $51/yr billed bi-monthly at $8.50/month.

The new structure determines the fee based on the amount of impervious surface area on the property. Impervious surface areas include driveways, buildings, construction sites, and farms. The fee structure is progressive meaning that a higher rate is charged for larger amounts of impervious surface area. This is the same principle as the progressive income tax.

The change to a tiered fee structure was motivated by considerations of engineering reality and social equity and fairness. It is an engineering fact that the impact and cost of runoff from impervious surfaces increases more than proportionately as the size of the area increases. For example, if a mansion is only four times as large as a cottage, the impact and cost of its runoff will be more than four times as great. Therefore, properties having more impervious surface due to large houses, driveways, tennis courts, sidewalks should pay more than less affluent properties. In summary, more affluent citizens (reflected in the size of their houses etc.) can afford and should bear a proportionately larger share of the cost.

The tiers are designed so that citizens with smaller impervious surface areas will not see an increase in the fee and, could possibly see a reduction. Those citizens with larger areas may see an increase in the fee.

Residential Stormwater Billing Tiers

If the impervious surface area is…

Between 1 and 2,000 sq ft then the fee will be $51 annually or $8.50 bi-monthly
Between 2,001 and 4,000 sq ft then the fee will be $54 annually or $9.00 bi-monthly
Between 4,001 and 6,000 sq ft then the fee will be $81 annually or $13.50 bi-monthly
More than 6,000 sq ft then the fee will be $108 annually or $18.00 bi-monthly.

10. What if a property owner thinks the impervious area of their property is incorrect?

The customer should contact Stormwater Staff at 336-727-8000 or CityLink 311 to discuss the issue and request a re-measurement of their property's impervious area.

11. Can a property owner reduce their stormwater fee?

Other communities may offer fee exemptions if runoff from the property does not impact the public drainage system or if a property owner installs a stormwater management control that is not a result of a development requirement in order to improve water quality or to reduce flooding within applicable standards.

City of Winston-Salem does not currently have a fee credit policy. However, a property owner may reduce stormwater fees by reducing the amount impervious area of the billed property. This reduction can be reported to the City and the bill would be reduced based on the amount of impervious area removed.

12. How does the City determine the impervious surface area of a property?

It depends…

For most residential customers the impervious surface area was determined from aerial photographs (called ortho photography). The digitized photos are individually examined and the impervious areas are outlined using digitizing software tools. This process was performed on over 150,000 parcels in 2005. In some cases, the impervious area may be determined from builder or contractor site plans and drawings and sometimes by direct physical measurements taken by the Stormwater Department.

Non-residential impervious surface areas are determined from builder site plans or direct measurement.

In cases where the impervious surface area is in dispute, a stormwater staff member can be requested to visit the site and physically perform a measurement of the impervious surface area.

13. Where can the impervious surface area value be found?

The billed impervious surface area for a location can be found on your utility bill or by contacting Stormwater Collections at 336-748-3221.

14. How is the billing tier for a location determined?

Residential Locations

For residential locations, once the amount of impervious area is determined then the billing tier can be found as follows:

If the impervious surface area is…

Between 1 and 2,000 sq ft then the location is in Tier 1 
Between 2,001 and 4,000 sq ft then the location is in Tier 2
Between 4,001 and 6,000 sq ft then the location is in Tier 3
More than 6,000 sq ft then the location is in Tier 4

Non-Residential Locations

Non-residential stormwater fees are not tiered.

15. How is the stormwater fee determined?

The calculation differs between residential and non-residential accounts. Residential locations use a tiered structure while the non-residential fee is simply proportional to the amount of impervious area. Both calculations and examples are explained in detail in Appendix B.

For residential locations the stormwater fee is determined as follows:

If the impervious surface area is…

Between 1 and 2,000 sq ft then the fee will be $51 anually or $8.50 bi-monthly
Between 2,001 and 4,000 sq ft then the fee will be $54 annually or $9.00 bi-monthly
Between 4,001 and 6,000 sq ft then the fee will be $81 annually or $13.50 bi-monthly
More than 6,000 sq ft then the fee will be $108 annually or $18.00 bi-monthly.

For non-residential locations the monthly stormwater fee is determined as follows:

$19.08 x (impervious area in square feet) / 1000 x 12

16. What is impervious surface area?

Impervious surface area: Any part of any parcel that has been modified by the action of any person in a manner which reduces the land's natural ability to absorb and hold storm and surface water. This includes the grading of the property and/or creation of any hard surface area which either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle, and/or the hardening of an existing surface which causes water to flow at an increased rate. By way of example, common impervious areas include, but are not limited to, roof tops, walkways, patios, driveways, parking lots or storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving, gravel roads, or any cleared, graded, graveled, or compacted surface or paved earthen materials used for vehicular travel, or areas covered with surfaces which similarly impeded the natural infiltration of surface water into the soil mantle.