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It is also important to recognize that development compounds existing drainage problems. The property owner on the hill has~ by converting the natural groundcover to streets~ concrete and rooftops~ increased the stormwater runoff and contri buted to the dra i na ge problem of hi s low-lying neighbors. To some extent then~ he should contribute to the cost of correcting that problem. These are complicated issues and the City Council realized that developing a cOOlprehensive drainage program would require considerable effort. So the 1976 ordi nance created a Storm Drainage Board to direct this effort. The Board is comprised of seven members appointed by City Council. It represents local engineering~ irri- gation and development interests, and includes members associated with Larimer County and Colorado State University. The Board meets monthly to review the progress of various drain- age programs, advise City Council on drainage matters, and accept public comment on storm drainage concerns. The Board is also responsible for dividing the City into separate drainage basi ns, develop; ng basi i1 master pl ailS recommend- ing the necessary improvements for each basin~ and proposing a method of financing these im- provements. One of the first tasks confronting the new Storm Drainage Board in 1976 was the development of a storm design criteria. This criteria would establish basic drainage policies~ provide design standards for drai "age improvements, and deter- mine standards for the development of basin master pl ans. USing the Denver Regional Council of Govern- ments' Urban Stonn Drainage Criteria Manual as a guideline, the City staff drafted an abbreviated design criteria for Fort Collins. Because of its importance in the Qverall drainage program, this design- criteria received thorough and detailed review by the Stonn Drainage Board and represen- tatiVes of local consulting engineers and devel- opers before being forwarded to C1ty Council for adopt10n. Developing Basin Master Plans The storm drafnage ordinance of 1976 had emphasized the importance of individual drainage basins. The Drainage Board. divided the city into ten major basins and~ over. a three year period, developed storm drainage master plans for each of these basins. The individual basin master plans were prepared by consulting engineers working closely with C1ty staff, irrigation and develop- ment interests, and the Storm Drainage Board. On several studies~ the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Larimer County provided technical and financial assistance. Each master plan evaluated the basin hydrol- ?9Y under existing conditions to identify exist- 109 drainage problems. The basin hydrology was then analyzed assuming full development of the basin area to identify improvements necessary to serve future development. Cost/benefit analyses were performed where improvements to the existing drainage system were being considered and flood damages caul d be identified. Where improvements were proposed in presently undeveloped areas., tc provide a continuous system of improvements, flood damages for cost/benefit analyses could not ~e detennined. In these cases, improvements ....ere desi gned to comply wi th the adopted storm drai n- age design criteria, which established the lOO-year event as the major design storm. In essence, each basin master plan identi- fies the system of improvements necessary to provide safe and effective stem drainage witnin the basin. Becaus.e the system is considered as a whole, the effectiveness of individual improve- ments is maximized. Thorough planning ahead of development means the most economical set of improvements can be provi ded. Less expensive channels designed for the future can eliminate the need for more costly stonn sewers to solve problems at a later date. The City's ten basin master plans identify over $40 million in capital improvements which are necessary to provide effective stormwater management. In addition to these capital costs~ there are substantial annual costs associated with the administration, operation and mainte- narn:e of the drainage system. Anticipating this level of investment. a key element in the devel- opment of a comprehensive storm drainage program would have to be the establishment of a sound method of finanCing drainage activities. While the basin master plans were being completed~ the City began to work on a financing plan. Creating The Stormwater Utility Prior to 1976~ drainage improvements in Fort Collins were constructed either by developers or by the Ci ty through storm sewer improvement di s- tricts or the capital improvements program sup- ported by sales tax revenues. By. 1976 all three of these methods were begi nni ng to ex peri ence difficulties. Developers found that the cost of off-site improvements required to provide work.- able drainage systems for their developments could be excessive. A.nd eventual reimbursement for such improvements was uncertain. On the City's side~ while early stann sewer improvement districts were successful ~ later districts rilet increasing opposition from property owners. After several unsuccessful attempts to create a special district in 1977, the concept was scrapped. At the same time~ increasing demand~ for sales tax revenues and skyrOCketing costs of drainage improvements made it apparent that a comprehensive drainage program could not rely on sales tax alone. . The development of a regional approach to stann drainage improvements~ with its considera- tion of the total drainage system beyond the boundaries of individual subdivisions. requires a regional approach to financing as well. Individ- ual developments can no longer be expected to be solely responsible for the costs of improvements which benefit properties other than their own. In a recent article in Civil Engineering, Herbert Poertner af Stonnwater Consul tants pointed out that "local governments financing stormwater control systems that cannot be used by 527