Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger made a presentation on the proposed Miami Trails Storm Water District to the county commissioners during their meeting on August 19.

Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger made a presentation on the proposed Miami Trails Storm Water District to the county commissioners during their meeting on August 19.
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Members of the Miami Trails Homeowners Association urged the Clermont County Commissioners to act swiftly to approve and establish the Miami Trails Storm Water District, a move members hope will help alleviate flooding and sinkholes within the subdivision.

The cause of the sinkholes is a large amount of impervious surfaces within the subdivision and inadequate and aging storm water pipes, according to Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger, who made a presentation on the Miami Trails Storm Water District to the county commissioners during their meeting on August 19.

Impervious surfaces are mainly artificial structures, such as roads, driveways, roofs and manicured lawns, which increase water runoff and reduce the amount of beneficial groundwater infiltration.

“The pipes are deteriorating,” said Miami Trails HOA member John Faulkner. “We urge you to take action as soon as you can.”

In October 2014, members of the HOA met with Miami Township to discuss sinkholes that were appearing in both the roadway and on private property.

One month later, they met with the county commissioners and the county engineer’s office to discuss the creation of a storm water district, which would encompass all the lots in the subdivision.

All members were advised that they would be assessed costs for improvements, repairs and ongoing maintenance, according to Manger’s presentation.

In December 2014, the HOA received approval from the owners of 201 of the 293 lots, with no objections, to pursue the formation of a storm water district.

In April, the county engineer’s office presented a preliminary report to the county commissioners, and outlined the steps necessary to establish the Miami Trails Storm Water District.

“It’s a very unique situation. We’ll be taking care of pipes underground. Not low spots in a lot or problems with a downspout,” said Manger.

Under the proposed Miami Trails Storm Water District agreement, the county would replace headwalls, manholes, inlets, outlets and storm water pipes. The county would also provide operating and maintenance services such as structure cleaning, inspection and repair.

“We would take care of everything outside of the right of way,” Manger said. “Inside of the right of way is covered by Miami Township.”

An average of $33,733 annually is needed to provide the services over a period of five years, which includes costs for operation and maintenance, lifecycle replacement, debt service, engineering services and administration services.

While the average cost is based on a period of five years, the fees will be applied in perpetuity, according to Manger.

“The $9,653 annual debit service cost will expire after 15 years, so at that point, the average annual cost will go down,” Manger said.

Before a storm water utility fee can be calculated, the rate methodology and associated billing policies must be set in order to determine the number of billing units in the district’s service area, according to a report.

The county engineer’s office selected the impervious area method, which assesses a charge to each property by multiplying the impervious area of each parcel by a rate determined in a rate study analysis.

All parcels classified as single-family residences are assigned a flat rate equal to one equivalent residential unit. The Miami Trails subdivision has a total of 306 ERUs, so the total annual fee per ERU is about $110.24, or $9.18 per month, a charge that will be added to each home’s existing water and sewer bill.

“I’d like to personally commend the HOA for being so progressive. They are in a great position with so many agreeable members,” said Commissioner Bob Proud. “We’ll probably see more of this type of thing in the future.”

To date, the only other municipality in Clermont County to form a storm water district is the City of Milford, according to Manger.

“Will credit be given to residents who have rain barrels?” asked Proud.

Manger said no, because calculating a credit formula would be too difficult.

“The more that can be done to decrease the amount of impervious surfaces, the better,” said John McManus, administrator for Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District. “There are steps that can be taken in the planning process that can decrease impervious surfaces.”

McManus suggested a method called “disconnecting,” where rather than having one continuous impervious surface, say from the roof, to the driveway to the sidewalk to the road, planners might try to build in open space for water to naturally drain into.

“If you can break up that flow and give water a chance to flow over an open surface, it can decrease the runoff,” McManus said. “That can go a long way.”

The commissioners are expected to make a final decision about the Miami Trails Storm Water District by early September.