Frequently Asked Questions

Stormwater runoff is rainfall that flows off roofs, driveways, parking lots, streets, and other compacted surfaces during rainstorms. Rather than being absorbed into the ground, the water flows into ditches, culverts, catch basins and storm sewers, which discharge into local canals, creeks, and rivers. In the City of Savannah, stormwater runoff can cause flooding, carry pollution to waterways, erode soil and stream banks, and impact aquatic habitats. 

Stormwater problems may include street or structural flooding, clogged or failing underground pipes and culverts, stream bank erosion, and pollution affecting our local waterways.  Over the past several years the City has experienced many severe flooding events that have made roadways impassable and have resulted in varying levels of flooding which caused property damage. 

Unlike treated wastewater from an industry or a wastewater treatment plant, stormwater pollution is created by stormwater runoff running over the land and picking up pollutants and discharging them through the drainage system to local water bodies. Examples of common stormwater runoff pollutant sources include fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, sediments, oils, salts, trace metals, and litter. These discharges and their associated pollutants can originate from yards, roofs, construction sites, parking lots, and streets. 

The City of Savannah’s Water Resources Service Center is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the City’s public drainage system, which includes 7 pump stations, 416 miles of pipes, 147 miles of ditches, 31 tide gates, and 21,043 of catch basins and manholes. The City must undertake various maintenance activities including the cleaning of the drainage system; replacement of aging culverts and drainage structures; operation of pump stations during rain events, and construction of new culvert systems to improve stormwater drainage and reduce flooding. 

Stormwater services are currently funded through a combination of sources, which include primarily ad-valorem taxes (property tax) and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) from the City’s General Fund.  The City also receives special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) for the completion of stormwater capital projects as well as project-specific grant funds.  This combination of funding sources is currently insufficient to fully meet the service expectations of our citizens and businesses and adequately fund the operational and capital project needs of the City’s stormwater system.

A Stormwater Utility is an operational and funding mechanism established to manage and maintain stormwater infrastructure, reduce flooding, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. It operates similarly to water and wastewater utilities, with users paying fees based on their contribution to stormwater runoff and the corresponding stormwater management services that they receive from the City.  One key aspect of a Stormwater Utility is that fees can only be used for stormwater management related expenses.

The resources needed to provide adequate funding for stormwater management service delivery within the City is increasing.  A Stormwater Utility and user fee would provide the City with a way to equitability assign and recover the cost of providing stormwater services to customers through a dedicated funding source that is based on the customer’s contribution of runoff to the City stormwater system and the corresponding services received.    

The Stormwater Utility user fee is a charge to customers based on the amount of impervious surface (e.g., roofs, driveways, parking lots) on their property, as these surfaces are directly related to the quantity of stormwater runoff that the property generates, and the stormwater services provided to that property by the City. 

By establishing a dedicated funding source through Stormwater Utility fees, the City can ensure that the revenue generated from the fee for managing and maintaining this important system is sufficient and dedicated to this purpose.  A fee based on impervious surface area is the most equitable way to allocate stormwater management costs, because all developed properties that receive stormwater services pay the fee, regardless of tax-exempt status. This funding mechanism also ensures that all funding received is spent on stormwater-related services and capital construction. 

No, the Stormwater Utility fee revenue will be placed in a separate enterprise fund (similar to the City’s Water-Sewer Enterprise Fund) that, by ordinance, can only be spent on stormwater management related activities. This is one of the major advantages of this fee – it can only be used to address stormwater management issues.

The Stormwater Utility fee for each property would be based on the square footage of impervious surface on the given parcel, minus any credits provided as described later in this FAQ.   

Impervious surfaces are generally defined as any man-made surface that does not readily absorb rainfall or stormwater runoff, and which impedes the natural flow of water into the soil. As such, some examples of impervious surfaces include roadways, building roofs, parking lots, compacted gravel, basketball/ tennis courts, etc.  The City uses GIS mapping, aerial imagery, and parcel data to measure the amount of impervious surfaces in square feet.  If a parcel undergoes changes, such as adding a new driveway or building or parking spaces, the impervious area measurements will be updated accordingly.

A parcel’s taxable value does not correlate well to is stormwater runoff characteristics, so traditional property taxes are not the most equitable way to allocate the cost for stormwater services to customers.  For example, a large truck and container storage parking lot has a lot of impervious surface and generates a large quantity of stormwater runoff, but generally has a low taxable value.  The future Stormwater Utility fee system will ensure the customers pay based on the contribution of runoff generated by the parcel, and the demand the parcel places on the stormwater system and the services that they receive. 

The revenues from the Stormwater Utility fee will be used to reduce the occurrence and magnitude of street and property flooding, provide better planning for the future, increase the maintenance and repair of the existing stormwater system, reduce sedimentation and erosion, and reduce non-point source runoff pollution to protect our local canals, wetlands, rivers, and coastal marshlands. 

The City will immediately put the Stormwater Utility revenue to work ensuring that City crews will have adequate staffing and equipment to maintain the drainage infrastructure and implement capital improvement projects. Because there are numerous areas in the City that have experienced flooding problems, customers may not see improvements in their neighborhood immediately. But rest assured, the City will address the flooding issues in your neighborhood as soon as possible. 

Yes, because the Stormwater Utility fee is not based upon the frequency of rainfall received.  The Stormwater Utility fee will be charged regardless of rainfall frequency because stormwater services will be ongoing to address issues leading up to rainfall events to ensure the system is properly maintained ahead of the rainfall events. 

Yes, a customer will still have to pay the fee even if a detention pond or other private, onsite stormwater control facility exists.   However, customers with private, onsite controls that meet applicable eligibility criteria can secure a Stormwater Utility fee credit to reduce their total fee because stormwater detention ponds (and other stormwater control facilities) do reduce the contribution of stormwater runoff to the stormwater system from the property that has the private, onsite stormwater control.  It should be noted that private, onsite stormwater controls typically still discharge to the City stormwater system, and the City must still maintain the drainage infrastructure that receives this discharge.   

Credits reduce a customer’s stormwater user fee based on specific activities that the customer undertakes to reduce their impact on the City’s drainage system and stormwater management program.

The City is developing a Stormwater Utility Fee Credit Policy that will provide a partial fee credit to customers that own and maintain private, onsite stormwater structural controls (i.e. detention ponds) that mitigate the stormwater runoff impacts related to the property’s discharge to the drainage system.  The credit policy will also include “non-structural” measures that customers can implement or participate in to assist the City’s stormwater management program.  Examples of the Stormwater Utility fee credits that are being evaluated by the City as part of a future credit policy are summarized below.  

• Structural Controls: Low-Impact Development/Green Infrastructure (LID/GI) Practices, inclusive of detention/retention ponds, runoff infiltration measures, pervious pavement, etc.    
• Non-Structural Controls: Residential Rain Barrels, Watershed Stewardship (i.e. Adopt-A-Stream, Stream Cleanups, etc), and Stormwater Education Programs. 

Customers can appeal their fee amount by providing evidence, such as updated measurements or documentation of on-site stormwater controls. Details on the appeal process will be provided on the City’s website.

Yes, non-profits and tax-exempt parcels will be charged the fee because they contribute stormwater runoff to the drainage system and receive services from the City – similar to all other developed parcels.   

The Stormwater Utility fee is intended to provide recurring, sustainable funding for stormwater management service delivery. The Stormwater Utility fee will be reviewed periodically and adjusted as necessary, but the need for funding to support drainage system maintenance and improvements will be ongoing into the future.  

Stormwater fees were first implemented in Georgia by the City of Griffin in 1998.  In 2025, the State of Georgia has over 75 cities and counties operating a Stormwater Utility fee program. Several nearby cities and counties operate a Stormwater Utility fee program including Garden City, Richmond Hill, Brunswick, Augusta-Richmond County, Hinesville, Statesboro, and Macon-Bibb County to name a few.  Nationally, there are an estimated 2,100 cities and counties that have implemented stormwater fees. 

The City of Savannah will hold a series of open house meetings to answer questions and share information about the stormwater management program and future Stormwater Utility fee.  The plan is to hold meetings in each Aldermanic District to maximize convenience based on geographic location. Please look for media announcements regarding these meetings as well as updates on City social media so that you can attend whichever meeting is most convenient for your schedule.

Please contact the City of Savannah Stormwater Department if you have any questions regarding this FAQ or other stormwater related issues.

Stormwater Management | Savannah, GA - Official Website