Stormwater Management | Macon Water Authority

Macon Water Authority Stormwater Management Program

Why Did MWA Have To Take Over Stormwater from Macon-Bibb County?

Previously, the Macon-Bibb County government managed stormwater. Macon-Bibb County has not had the resources necessary to adequately maintain and upgrade drainage infrastructure to meet regulatory requirements related to its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Sewer and Stormwater System (MS4) Phase I Medium Stormwater Permit (GAS000301). As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Macon-Bibb County government a Consent Order, Final Order, and a $145,000 fine due to regulatory non-compliance. Thusly, in July 2019, the Intergovernmental Agreement was executed between Macon-Bibb County and the Macon Water Authority. On December 31, 2020, the Macon Water Authority (MWA), through the Intergovernmental Agreement, now maintains and manages the regulatory and operational responsibilities for stormwater infrastructure and services.

What is the Purpose of Stormwater Management?

Stormwater management primarily focuses on water quality by reducing pollutants in stormwater runoff, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, and maintaining and improving drainage infrastructure. MWA manages public stormwater systems, such as pipes, drains, ditches, and detention ponds, to help prevent water quality problems and localized drainage issues.

Who is Responsible for Flood Control?

While stormwater management helps reduce localized flooding (e.g., clearing clogged drains, improving drainage infrastructure), major flood control efforts—such as levee systems, river flooding, and large-scale drainage basin management—are not under MWA’s jurisdiction. These responsibilities are handled by:

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (floodplain mapping & flood insurance programs).
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (large-scale flood mitigation projects).
Macon-Bibb County Government (Planning & Zoning & Engineering).

The Role of Planning & Zoning in Flood Prevention

Planning & Zoning Department of Macon-Bibb County plays a key role in flood prevention by:

Regulating where and how new developments are built to minimize stormwater runoff impacts.
Ensuring construction follows floodplain management regulations to prevent buildings in high-risk flood areas.
Requiring stormwater detention systems in new developments to control runoff.

Federal Stormwater Regulations

Stormwater management is regulated under the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA), which requires state and local governments to follow the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. MWA operates under an MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permit, which mandates proper stormwater drainage, pollution prevention, and infrastructure maintenance.

Why Do Residents Have to Pay for Stormwater?

Stormwater infrastructure requires ongoing maintenance and improvements to function properly. Unlike drinking water or sewer services, stormwater is not treated in a plant—it flows through a network of drains, pipes, and ditches that must be maintained. The stormwater fee ensures funding for the following:

Routine maintenance (cleaning drains, repairing pipes, maintaining detention ponds).
Emergency repairs for drainage failures.
Street sweeping to remove debris that could clog storm drains.
Regulatory compliance with environmental laws.
Capital improvement projects to upgrade aging stormwater infrastructure.
Public education to prevent stormwater pollution.

For more details, view the Macon Water Authority 2021 Stormwater Guidebook below.

How the MWA Handles Stormwater Management

The MWA handles stormwater management through an intergovernmental agreement with Macon-Bibb County Government. Stormwater capital projects funded by sources like SPLOST will continue to address infrastructure issues, but the community’s growing needs have far outweighed available funding. Thus, we have developed a stormwater utility to assist with the costs.

The MWA is committed to:

Protecting water quality
Providing best management practices
Assuring stormwater regulatory compliance

Please check out our Stormwater Education Video for a complete overview of the MWA Stormwater Management Program Services.

MWA Stormwater Education Video

For More Information About Stormwater Management, Please Call 478-464-5600.

Stormwater Management Program Services

The following services are offered to rate-paying Authority customers through the current MWA stormwater utility:

Repair cave-ins and sinkholes (Within Public Right-of-way)
Repair, replace, and/or install stormwater pipe (Within Public Right-of-Way)
Provide ditch maintenance (Within Public Right-of-Way)
Repair or replace catch basins, frame casings, culverts, and manhole covers
Clean clogged catch basins and storm drains

(Please note that Macon Water Authority is not responsible for maintaining or replacing infrastructure on private easements, including ditches, pipes, or other stormwater infrastructure)

Maintain public detention ponds
Address stormwater drainage issues
Provide continual street sweeping
Provide necessary preventive maintenance
Protect water quality

Stormwater Utility Fees

What is a Stormwater Utility Fee?

Stormwater management is the latest, significant responsibility of the Macon Water Authority. The MWA must secure a dedicated funding source to provide these Stormwater Management Program Services, while addressing the sustainability of the Stormwater Management Program. Most utilities across the nation employ stormwater utility fees as the most equitable solution.

Stormwater utility fees ensure that those who contribute more stormwater runoff (such as properties with large parking lots) pay more than those who contribute less runoff (such as residential properties). In other words, a stormwater utility fee fairly asks all customers who impact the system to help fund the solution according to how much their property contributes to the issue.

Like our water and sewer services, the revenue earned from stormwater utility fees are dedicated solely to managing Macon-Bibb County’s stormwater infrastructure and system. MWA customers began seeing a stormwater utility fee on their monthly bill beginning January 1, 2022.

How Are Stormwater Utility Fees Calculated?

MWA customer stormwater utility fees are based on the amount of impervious area on a customer’s property, which includes surfaces like:

Rooftops
Driveways
Patios
Sidewalks
Any other hard surfaces that do not allow stormwater to infiltrate into the ground.

For single-family residential property owners, a flat fee of $4.99 per month is charged for each property.

For all other non-single-family properties, the billing amount is $4.99 per month for every 2,200 square feet, which is one (1) Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) of impervious surface on the customer’s property. This includes commercial, industrial, multi-family, or any other property that is not a single-family residential property.

An ERU represents the median level of the impervious area found on a single-family residential property in Macon-Bibb County. The median – 2,200 square feet – was determined by measuring the impervious surfaces on a significant proportion (sample) of properties within the community. The ERU, in turn, is used as a billing unit for properties other than those categorized as single-family residential properties. The impervious area on these properties is measured using aerial imagery, which in turn is divided by 2,200 square feet to determine the number of billing units, or ERUs, on the property. The minimum stormwater utility fee to be charged to any property within Macon-Bibb County is 1 ERU.

All developed property pays a stormwater user fee, even those properties owned by tax-exempt organizations.
Stormwater user fees are proven to be fair and serve as a better method to charge for Stormwater Program services.

What is the Cost to MWA Customers?

The stormwater user fee for residential customers is $4.99 per month.
The stormwater user fee for non-residential customers is $4.99 per billing unit.
- A billing unit = 2,200 square feet of impervious surface.
The MWA is projected to generate $9.2 million annually to invest back into sustainable stormwater services or necessary stormwater infrastructure projects.
The MWA stormwater utility operating budget is approximately $5.2 million annually.
The MWA provided a one-year grace period, meaning stormwater services were provided in the first year of the utility’s formation (in 2021) with no fees billed to customers until January of 2022.
The MWA offers a credit program for residential and non-residential customers, allowing them the opportunity to implement best management practices on their own properties in exchange for reductions in user fees.

Stormwater Credits

What is a Stormwater Service Fee Credit?

As part of the MWA’s Stormwater Management Program, a stormwater credit is offered to help property owners reduce their stormwater utility bills. The purpose of these credits is to recognize actions and systems that reduce the burden on and/or the cost of operating the MWA’s Stormwater Management Program and infrastructure. These credits also provide an incentive for property owners to properly manage their stormwater system(s) as good stewards of our natural resources.

To receive a stormwater credit from the MWA, a property must meet specific criteria that demonstrate compliance with the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual, such as maintaining stormwater management features (e.g., detention ponds, rain gardens) on the property that help to reduce the stormwater runoff or improve water quality. Qualifying properties that submit the proper documentation are eligible for up to a 50% maximum reduction in stormwater utility fees.

Participation in stormwater education programs through schools, churches, or other entities also qualifies a customer for stormwater credits. Stormwater stewardship activities by schools, churches, or other organizations — such as no direct discharges, septic tank management, or a minimal amount of impervious surface on site (less than 10%) — are welcomed for consideration of credits as well.

How Do I Apply for a Stormwater Credit?

For the complete listing of Stormwater Credit opportunities and the documentation required to apply for stormwater service fee credits, please click the link for the Residential Stormwater Credit Manual below:

Macon Water Authority Residential Stormwater Credit Manual

If applying for a single-family residential (SFR) Stormwater Service Fee Credit, please click the link below and download the SFR Service Fee Credit Application/Renewal Form.

Please note that you will not need a Right of Entry Agreement for this application.

SFR Service Fee Credit Application/Renewal Form

Non-Single-Family Residential Credit Manual and Application

For the complete listing of MWA Stormwater Credit opportunities and documentation required to apply for Stormwater Service Fee Credits, please click the links below.

NSFR Stormwater Credit Manual

If applying for a Non-Single-Family Residential (NSFR) service fee credit, please click the link below and download the NSFR Service Fee Credit Application/Renewal Form.

NSFR Service Fee Credit Application/Renewal Form

Please be sure to include the Right of Entry Agreement with your Credit Application. Please click the link below to download the Right of Entry Agreement Form.

Right of Entry Agreement

How to Submit Your Application to the MWA Online:

For Single-Family Residential Applications:

For Non-Single Family Residential & Commercial Applications:

https://arcg.is/1uz5y

Stormwater Credit Amounts

For the complete listing of Stormwater Credits available, please click on the link below:

MWA Stormwater Credit Table

Stormwater Education Materials

Stormwater Education Program for Other Organizations

Non-residential property owners can qualify for a Stormwater Fee Credit by meeting whichever of the following two levels is greater:

20% participation based on the number of parking spaces (i.e., the number of people required to attend must be at least .20 times the number of parking spaces visible in aerial imagery)
20% participation based on a verifiable number of employees or members

Participating property owners must submit documentation for the training activity that includes the date, description of the training/video, and the record of attendance in the form of a sign-in sheet.

Stormwater Service Fee Appeals

If customers receive a Stormwater Fee they believe is incorrect based on the number of ERUs charged, they may initiate an Appeal of the Stormwater Fee.

The MWA will process only one appeal application at a time for each customer account. Please attach all documentation to support this appeal, as indicated in the table included in the application below. Review and response of the appeal may take up to 30 days. A Right-of-Entry Agreement is required for non-residential property appeals, even though a site visit may not be necessary.

Stormwater Service Fee Appeals Form

A completed and printed copy of this appeal form can be mailed or emailed with attachments to:

Macon Water Authority
Attn: S.W. Service Fee Appeal
790 Second Street; P.O. Box 108
Macon, GA 31202-0108
Customercare@maconwater.org

*By submitting an appeal application, you (the customer) certify that all statements made on the form are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief, and that any false statements or major omissions shall be considered sufficient cause for the addition of a $100.00 administrative fee. Also, you further acknowledge that any or all information provided is subject to verification and hereby authorize Macon Water Authority to conduct a site visit of your property as needed.