The Economic Cost of Stormwater

Managing stormwater costs Toronto many million dollars each year.  Many of these costs are currently borne by infrastructure, transit and road budgets.  The city of Toronto estimates that a storm water utility to cover the cost of stormwater management would require over a billion dollars in capital expenses and $233 million in operating expenses for the next 25 years.

In regions where stormwater utilities have been implemented, they have generally resulted in much better stormwater management. A fee charged to homeowners, based on the amount of permeable area of their lot and reductions based on the various techniques employed to reduce runoff, rewards responsible stormwater management at the source. This reduces both volumes and costs down the pipe and translates into a more efficient and safe stormwater system.

More: Costs of Mismanagement

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