Storm water has always been an issue on the construction site. Your contractor had to manage run off, clean truck tires before leaving the site, and install bio-ponds. All of these strategies have become common place in the industry.
Now stormwater is becoming an issue for a wider audience. In order to protect the Chesapeake Bay, new regulations are coming for localities. This will most likely impact you and your home. Staunton and Charlottesville have already instituted a “storm water management fee” that is calculated by the percentage of impervious service on your property. In other words, the larger your home, the longer your traditional driveway, and the bigger your patio, the more you will pay.
There are many strategies you can implement into your property design to reduce your fee. Vegetated walls, pervious pavement and vegetative roofs are just a few of the things you can do to your home. Protecting the Chesapeake Bay will benefit all of us for future generations, stiffer stormwater regulations will help with that goal. However, reducing your stormwater fee is something that will pay dividends to both protecting the bay and your wallet.
