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City Storm Water Utility
Credit Policy
The purpose of the Storm Water Utility
Credit Policy is to encourage actions
by residential property owners within
the city that:
Reduce storm water flows and
volumes;
Reduce storm water pollution
and;
Reduce the utility’s costs in
providing proper management
of storm water runoff.
Residential properties may be eligible
for a credit to their storm water utility
fee under two circumstances:
Installation and maintenance of
a Best Management Practice
and/or
Impervious area that is riparian
to a water body.
For more information, please contact
the Department of Public Works at
920-236-5065
About the Oshkosh
Sustainability
Advisory Board
The Oshkosh Sustainability
Advisory Board was established in
2009 and is given the mission to
advise the City Manager and
Common Council on sustainability
issues affecting municipal
operations and the community at
large.
Sustainability is the framework to
think about and address systems
holistically, rather than as
component pieces or
departments. For the City of
Oshkosh, sustainability is
implemented through the City’s
Strategic Plan and is guided by the
City’s Sustainability Plan.
City of Oshkosh
City of Oshkosh
Sustainability Advisory Board
215 Church Avenue, Oshkosh, WI 54901
www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SustainableOshkosh
Impervious Surfaces
and Water Quality
It is estimated that pavement covers
22% of Wisconsin’s urban areas.
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf
What’s wrong with
impervious surfaces?
Water will still find a place to go,
right? Yes; however, dense areas
of impervious surfaces means
water cannot penetrate the
ground, thereby entering directly
into our waterways -- often known
as storm water runoff. This runoff
means that water will carry a
number of materials into our lakes
and rivers since it is not first
filtered through the soil.
Storm water runoff can
significantly reduce the quality of
our water, and can also increase
the chances of flooding.
What is an impervious surface?
An impervious surface is any surface that water cannot penetrate, meaning
that it covers that ground and does not allow water to filter through the soil.
Examples of impervious surfaces that you see every day include sidewalks,
roads, rooftops, and parking lots.
What can you do to help?
Direct storm water from paved
areas into vegetative strips or
gravel trenches.
Install detention basins or plant a
rain garden.
Redirect water from downspouts
to green areas rather than paved
areas or into a rain barrel.
Plant native plants, which are
better at absorbing and retaining
water.
Consider alternative surfaces
such as permeable
pavement/cement, pavers, and
wood decking, which all allow
water to penetrate into the soil.
What are some benefits to
pervious surfaces?
Decrease the amount of
pollutants entering our
waterways.
Reduce flooding.
Reduce erosion.
Improve the quality of waterways.
Reduce the volume of water that
enters the storm drain system,
which decreases financial burden
needed to maintain the systems.