Frequently Asked Questions

The Department of Public Works (DPW) has long been responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving the Town’s drainage system, which includes 130 miles of pipeline and thousands of catch basins, manholes, and water quality treatment practices. A well-functioning drainage system keeps roads passable and protects public health and private property. In the last 20 years, the stormwater program has expanded to include water quality considerations under the Clean Water Act. In the immediate future, the program will need to evolve to address the impacts of climate change according to the Town’s Climate Action Plan. The stormwater management program has historically been funded through the General Fund (tax revenue). 

A stormwater utility that generates revenue through fees is a more equitable way to pay for this necessary work. A stormwater utility is similar to water and sewer utilities, which allocates costs based on the amount of use. In this case, use is measured by the amount of impervious area (IA). An Enterprise Fund allows revenue to be collected from all properties (including tax-exempt) and applied directly to stormwater-specific costs.

Revenue from the Stormwater Utility funds all aspects of the stormwater management program including administration, regulatory compliance, drainage system operation & maintenance, and capital projects. A well-functioning drainage system keeps roads passable and protects public health and private property. The stormwater utility provides sufficient funding to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual permit requirements; this includes increased costs to significantly reduce phosphorous in stormwater runoff discharging to the Charles River. For current information on steps the Town is taking to address permit requirements and mitigate stormwater pollution, visit MS4 Permit. In the immediate future, the program will also need to evolve to address the impacts of climate change according to the Town’s Climate Action Plan.

Advantages of a Stormwater Utility Fee include:

• Sustainable – dedicated, stable revenue source
• Equitable – distributed to all non-municipal property owners and based on stormwater impact versus property value
• Flexible – Enterprise will fund all aspects of the stormwater management program
• Credit policy – The stormwater utility provides opportunities for credits, which provide a financial incentive for stormwater improvements on private property. These improvements have a positive impact on water quality, flooding, and maintenance requirements in the Town’s drainage system.

All stormwater runoff in Wellesley eventually makes its way to the Charles River.  On the way there, it may pass through any number of brooks, streams, wetlands, groundwater, and ponds. Any pollution within the stormwater runoff is transported and concentrated in these waterbodies, causing major impairments that can impact human, pet, and wildlife health and safety, as well as degrade recreational opportunities and enjoyment of the environment. Every two years the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection publishes an Integrated List of Waters, which identifies waterbodies that are failing to meet minimum state standards for water quality; pollutants from stormwater runoff have been identified as the number one cause of failure.

Impervious Surface, as defined in Wellesley’s Zoning Bylaw, is “material covering the ground, including but not limited to macadam, cement, concrete, pavement, and buildings, that does not allow surface water to penetrate into the soil.” This includes walkways, pools, and rooftops. The measurement of this surface is referred to as “impervious area” (IA). Cumulatively, more impervious area causes less groundwater infiltration and increased stormwater runoff (volume and rate of runoff) that is also more polluted and warmer. This harms our wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Fees are determined based on the amount of impervious area on a parcel. The median impervious area of all Single Family Residential (SFR) parcels in Wellesley is 3,100 square feet. One equivalent residential unit (ERU) is represented by this median value of 3,100 square feet. The total ERUs in town was determined in combination with estimated revenue requirements to develop a cost per ERU. The fee does not consider the percentage of  imperviousness on a parcel. SFR parcels will be billed a tiered flat fee and Non Single Family Residential (NSFR) properties will be billed proportionally to their impervious area. For proportional fees, a given parcel is divided by the impervious area in one ERU (3,100 ft2) to determine a rounded, whole number of ERUs on the parcel.   Please visit the Wellesley  Stormwater Utility Fee Property Viewer to zoom in to individual addresses and see impervious area mapping and fee calculation. 

Wellesley’s fee is in the upper range of stormwater fees in Massachusetts. This is because Wellesley made the policy decision to fully fund the stormwater program with the Enterprise Fund, including administrative and overhead costs. Many towns only fund permit compliance costs. Additionally, Wellesley is in the Charles River Watershed and is subject to more stringent requirements to reach phosphorus reduction targets.

No this is a separate enterprise fund and does not impact existing utilities.

Bills will be sent monthly with water, sewer, and electric use bills.

Fees will be calculated for the parcel and will be billed to the property owner.

The fee will be calculated for the parcel, including common area and private roads. An utility bill will be sent to the central homeowners association. 

The best way to reduce the Stormwater fee is to reduce impervious area. However, all property owners will also be eligible for credits and abatements. 

Examples of common concerns in billing include property has the incorrect amount of impervious area, property is in the incorrect billing tier, or bill was sent to an incorrect owner. To apply for a review of the property or billing, submit an Abatement application located under Credit & Abatements. For additional information regarding how the billing was calculated, please use the Stormwater Property Viewer to view details on individual properties.