The City of Wenatchee owns and maintains a stormwater utility. The utility includes catch basins in the street, and an underground network of pipes that transport stormwater to a series outfalls,  many of which drain directly to the Columbia River. The City’s stormwater system also includes other stormwater control mechanisms including ponds, swales, tree boxes, and filters to promote infiltration of stormwater into the ground and treatment before it reaches the river. The entire stormwater system is intended to carry only rain water and snow melt. Garbage, wastewater, wash water, oil, paint, and all other types of waste and chemicals are prohibited from discharge to the stormwater system. Non-stormwater discharges can cause blockages to stormwater pipes and water quality concerns when the material reaches the river.

Since February of 2007, the City of Wenatchee, Chelan County, Douglas County, and the City of East Wenatchee have operated their stormwater utilities under the Eastern Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit. The permit requires each jurisdiction to implement a stormwater program with the goal of reducing the amount of pollution in stormwater. The current will expire in 2019 and a reissuance will follow.

To share resources and implement a consistent regional stormwater program, representatives from both cities and both counties have been working together to meet the requirements of the permit. This group is called the Wenatchee Valley Stormwater Technical Advisory Committee (WVSTAC). For the latest information regarding the regional stormwater program please visit the WVSTAC page.

Stormwater Rate Changes

In September, the City of Wenatchee adopted a new Stormwater Comprehensive Plan and rates that take effect January 1, 2021. The updated comprehensive plan reflects changes to the size of the stormwater utility and increased regulation for the utility. The plan recommended changes to the billing unit or Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) and rate increases to support the ongoing operation, maintenance and development of the stormwater system. The rates pay for maintenance of the municipal stormwater system, pollution prevention activities and programs, and capital projects to improve stormwater management.

How your Bill is Calculated—The ERU

The City completed an analysis of the stormwater system in August. Since the last analysis of the stormwater system, the City has annexed large areas and regulations guiding the stormwater utility have greatly increased. All properties within City limits are charged stormwater fees. A single-family residence is billed one (1) stormwater unit. The ERU is based on the average size of a single-family parcel in the City of Wenatchee, which was calculated to be 4,200 square feet. This reflects an increase in square feet from the 3,000 square feet, calculated in the early 1990’s.

For commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties, the stormwater bill is based on the total square footage of impervious surface on a property divided by 4,200.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What gets counted as impervious surface? 

Impervious surface includes roof tops, asphalt, or concrete sidewalks, paving, driveways, parking lots, walkways, patio areas, storage areas, gravel, or any other surface that similarly affects natural infiltration and runoff patterns. To the right is an example of how impervious surface is calculated. The City of Wenatchee Public Services Center consists of two parcels, the total ERUs is based on the impervious surfaces for both parcels. If you have specific questions about what was counted as impervious surface on your property, please contact (509) 888-3273.

• What am I paying for if I don’t have a storm drain near my property and I don’t discharge to the City system?

Unlike the water and sewer utilities, the stormwater utility is not based on whether you are connected to the system or discharge stormwater. The stormwater utility fees go toward maintaining roads and the stormwater infrastructure to reduce flooding and keep roads safe and navigable during rain events to maintain access to your property for you, your customers, and vendors. The fees also pay for capital projects and implementation of a water quality protection program.

• How are the rate changes going to impact my bill?

Monthly ERU rates from 2020-2029 are shown in the table below. Discounts given by the County to Olds Station customers will be phased out beginning in 2021.

• Who gets the bill?

Stormwater fees are billed and will typically be sent to the property owner. Possible billing scenarios may include:

• If you are a tenant on a property with multiple businesses and you have your own account with the City to pay for water and/or sewer, you will see your stormwater bill adjusted to 0 from the City, the stormwater fees will be sent to the property owner.
• If there are multiple accounts for your property owned by the same person or company, all of the stormwater ERUs will be added to the one account (typically the first account associated with the property).
• If you are a property owner with multiple utility accounts/tenants on your property and all of the stormwater ERUs have been combined to one stormwater account, we can provide a breakdown of impervious surface to be divided among businesses/tenants. For more information on visual breakdowns of stormwater accounts, please contact (509) 888-3273

Stormwater Comprehensive Plan Update

The Final Draft of the City of Wenatchee Comprehensive Stormwater Plan is available below. The final draft was presented to City Council for approval on September 10th, 2020.

 Stormwater Comprehensive Plan Approved Version

SEPA Documentation

Meeting minutes for the September 10, 2020 City Council Meeting, where the Comprehensive Plan was officially adopted by Council can be found here.

Stormwater Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I go to report something?
We want to hear from you! If you have a stormwater comment, complaint, or compliment, please fill out an online Citizen Request. 

Keeping our stormwater system free of pollution is a priority! To report a spill or stormwater concern, please call our Stormwater Hotline at (509)888-3235. For after-hours emergencies please call (509) 665-2236.

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