By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - A workshop here Monday night will likely offer one of the last chances for residents to speak out about a proposed $5 per month storm water fee that would be imposed to meet a federal requirement to improve storm-water management.

Sanitation District No. 1, which serves 33 Northern Kentucky cities and Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, is expected to impose the new fee at its Jan. 16 meeting. If approved, the new charge would first appear on residents' quarterly sewer bills starting Aug. 1.

DISTRICT MEETING

What: Vote on proposed $5 per month residential storm-water fee When: 4 p.m. Jan. 16 Where: Regular meeting of Northern Kentucky's sanitary sewer district board, 1045 Eaton Drive, Fort Wright Workshop meeting What: Chance for residents to comment on and ask questions about proposed $5 per month storm water fee When: 5-7 p.m. Monday Where: Covington City Commission chambers, 638 Madison Ave.

The increase means the average monthly charge for residential customers would be about $27 per month, said Jeff Eger, general manager of Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky.

"When the surcharge goes on, that's not the time to complain,'' said Covington Mayor Butch Callery, who had requested Monday's workshop hearing. "People need to make their comments and ask their questions now. We want to make sure everybody's informed.''

Sanitation District No. 1 staff and consultants will be on hand to discuss the fee proposal from 5-7 p.m. Monday in Covington City Commission chambers, 638 Madison Ave., Mr. Eger said. Boards with pictures and information on key elements of the program will be scattered throughout the room so that the public can come and go at will.

"We're looking for input, and we want to explain to the public how we came up with the new fee,'' Mr. Eger said.

Mr. Callery said he is concerned that the surcharge "won't come close'' to covering the required improvements.

New federal government regulations are requiring one entity to manage the region's storm-water sewers. Sanitation District No. 1, relying on suggestions from four citizens' focus groups, has developed a management plan for meeting new federal storm-water management requirements for local governments, Mr. Eger said.

To help pay for the management, operation, and maintenance of storm sewers, the rate hike is needed, he said.

"To meet this unfunded federal mandate, we have to pay for it,'' Mr. Eger said. "The 33 cities and all three counties have been told they have to (deal with their storm water runoff). It's not an obligation of the sanitation district, but we've been asked to develop the plan for meeting the federal requirements.''

The $5 a month fee for each household was proposed based the average amount of impermeable surface area on the typical Northern Kentucky residential property, said John Lyons, the sanitation district's storm-water management director. Impermeable surfaces, which include roofs, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, cause more runoff because they stop rain from soaking into the ground.

For businesses and industrial properties, the sanitation district will measure all impermeable surfaces and divide the square footage by 2,600 square feet, Mr. Lyons said. They will receive an as-yet unspecified credit for storm-water control measures.

"Beginning in March, we will send all non-residential customers letters saying what we've calculated as the amount of impervious surface, and we will also identify what we think they will get as a credit,'' Mr. Lyons said. "They can respond if they don't agree.''

Instead of keeping data on impermeable surfaces for residential properties, the focus group recommended using the $5 residential rate, Mr. Lyons said.

Farms are exempt from the proposed fee because agriculture is covered under separate federal storm-water guidelines, he said.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com