Stormwater Management Funding Study

The City of Cambridge is undertaking a Stormwater Management Funding Study to identify a sustainable strategy to fund the City’s stormwater management program, which includes operation, maintenance and replacement of stormwater infrastructure.

The Stormwater Management Funding Study will allow the City to:

Identify current gaps in funding and develop a plan to achieve sustainable funding levels
Provide alternative funding methods for the stormwater management program, thus reducing the burden on property taxes
Use innovative approaches to address emerging environmental stormwater management issues.

Public Information Centre

An important component of this study is understanding and incorporating feedback from residents and business owners. Due to COVID-19, the City is unable to meet with residents in person to provide information on the Study and to collect feedback. In lieu of an in-person Public Information Centre (PIC) the City has prepared a virtual PIC consisting of an online video presentation and survey / comment form.

The video presentation will be available from September 1st - 20th and survey responses will be collected up until September 20th. View the presentation below. You can also find the presentation slides in PDF and the voiceover script under the Documents section on the right (or below on mobile).

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and moving forward with this initiative!

The Stormwater Management Funding Study will allow the City to:

Identify current gaps in funding and develop a plan to achieve sustainable funding levels
Provide alternative funding methods for the stormwater management program, thus reducing the burden on property taxes
Use innovative approaches to address emerging environmental stormwater management issues.

Public Information Centre

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and moving forward with this initiative!

Project Background

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The City of Cambridge is undertaking a Stormwater Management Funding Study to determine a sustainable funding mechanism for operation, maintenance and replacement of stormwater infrastructure and to establish levels of service for the City’s stormwater management program.
Purpose of the Stormwater Management Funding Study
- Better define and understand existing infrastructure assets and future needs
- Evaluate potential stormwater management costs and funding impacts
- Make informed recommendations about stormwater priorities, level of investment, and funding options
The City’s stormwater management system consists of approximately 370 kilometers (km) of storm sewers plus culverts, drainage channels, ponds and watercourses and is valued at $530 Million. The operation, maintenance and replacement of the system is currently funded through property taxes.
A City-wide Stormwater Management Master Plan was adopted by City Council in 2011, which included an inventory of all the City’s stormwater management facilities, development of hydrologic models of the trunk storm sewer system and updates to the City’s Stormwater Management policy. The plan also included high-level funding requirements to maintain the existing facilities.
The City’s Asset Management Plan (2019) identified a current funding gap for renewal of existing stormwater infrastructure.
A key component of this Study is engaging with the public to understand their perspectives on the stormwater management needs of the City and the best way to fund these needs.