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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />tit <br /> <br />BENCHMARKING OF <br />STORMWATER MANAGEMENT UTILITIES IN COLORADO <br /> <br />By <br />Donna S(:ot, Stormwater Quality Specialist, City of Boulder <br />and <br />Jon Sorensen, P..E., President, Stormwater & Environmental Consultants <br /> <br />A dedicated source of funding for stormwater activities is becoming necessary in many <br />communities in Colorado as requirements for stormwater management grow. A stormwater <br />management utility (SMU) is a popular way to meet the need because of the equity of service fees <br />charged by utilities. At the same time, existing SMUs in Colorado are facing increased budget <br />pressure and are considering rate increases. They also have a need to document their activities <br />and performance to elected officials and the public. <br /> <br />This presentation describes the concept of a SMU, summarizes activities and programs, and <br />outlines typical fees in Colorado. The presentation continues by benchmarking the operations of <br />six of the major stormwater utilities. Benclunarking of water, wastewater, and other utilities has <br />accelerated recently becaus,e of an increased interest in government efficiency and privatization. <br />Using the average single family residential fee as the "yardstick," numerous metrics (e.g., acres of <br />regulated floodplain, assessed property value), activities and expenditures are compared for each <br />of the utilities. <br />