After several days of non-stop raining, news that a stormwater utility program may soon become a reality may come as a relief to some.

With many areas of the county suffering from drainage problems exacerbated by flat land that doesn’t drain and explosive development that both accelerates the amount of rainwater hitting ditches and creeks and prevents water from soaking into the ground, John McManus, program manager for stormwater management in Clermont County, said that creating a comprehensive stormwater management program will be vital to protecting property in the county and attracting new growth.

“First, the reasons we’re considering this,” said McManus. “We face a number of very difficult stormwater problems in the county. We have standing water drainage problems, which are common. That’s not just mudpuddles after a storm, but large bodies of water that just stay there for days and days. Flooding is also a common problem, of people’s basements, homes and on roadways. Runoff can threaten the integrity of different pieces of infrastructure, like roads or sewers. Runoff also washes a wide variety of things into the streams, and as of 2003, the county and other local governments now operate a stormwater regulation required by the environmental protection agency.”