Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Public Workshop Typical Maintenance Costs January 19, 2011 Several Slides Courtesy of Center for Watershed Protection Rhode Island Stormwater Design and Installation Standards Manual

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Major: Rehabilitation or reconstruction Non-routine: Cleanout trash and sediment, structural repairs, partial rehabilitation Routine: Visual assessment, mowing, litter & debris removal, vegetation management Stormwater BMP O& M Pyramid Source: Erickson, et. al, 2010

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Audience Poll Who has primary responsibility for maintenance in your community? –Haven’t figured it out yet –Private landowners or homeowners associations –Local government or other public agency –Hybrid of public and private sector

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Factors that impact maintenance costs Inspection frequency; Required routine maintenance (# of maintenance actions – function of type of practice); Required specialized equipment; Number of staff hours required for routine items; Required non-routine

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Plan Review The Life Cycle Approach to Stormwater Maintenance The most successful programs recognize that effective stormwater BMP maintenance involves more than just maintenance

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Program Scoping Questions What are the local watershed protection and restoration objectives? How many stormwater BMPs are currently in place? How many more stormwater BMPs are expected? Where will they be located? Who will maintain them? What will be the level of service provided by the community? How can the program be funded?

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Program Level of Service Complaint-driven /political program Regular inspection and maintenance schedule Inspection reports and record keeping Public vs. private maintenance Program funding

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Program Models Communities have several different options to consider when vesting maintenance responsibilities –Option 1: Private maintenance –Option 2: Public maintenance –Option 3: Hybrid

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Program Options Option 1: Private Maintenance Community responsible for public stormwater controls, homeowners or businesses have responsibility for private controls Reduces costs Good option for small communities with limited staff Community still responsible for education, tracking and enforcement

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Key Considerations for Option 1 Who should conduct routine inspections? How to ensure that maintenance continues when properties change hands? When should enforcement be used?

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Program Options Option 2: Public Maintenance Community has full responsibility for maintenance of both public and private stormwater controls Uncommon due to costs Better control Requires dedicated staff and funding Avoids legal roadblocks and questions

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Budgeting for a Local Maintenance Program Staff Equipment Administration Tracking/GIS Contractual Services Other

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance LOS

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Manual Reference

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Maintenance Checklists Appendix E

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Annual O&M costs a function of capital cost Bioretention: $O&M% = 90.1($CC) Wet Basins: $O&M% = 230.9($CC) Open Channels: $O&M% = 2526($CC) For Example: Bioretention costing 50K O&M cost ~ 4% of CC Open Channel practice costing 50k O&M cost ~ 8% of CC CC = Cap Cost Source: Kang, Weiss: Univ of MN

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Annual cost of sediment removal (2005) Source: Erickson, et. al, 2010

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More cost data (2005)

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More cost information Typical construction inspection costs for LID systems: 2-4% of Capital Construction Cost (HW personal experience) Source: Christina Basin Trib Team, DE, 2005

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More cost data (2003)

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More cost data (2003)

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More data (2004+/-) (

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. More Data

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Example Annual predicted maintenance costs Raingarden:$650 Infiltration chambers: $300/ system Site/landscaping: $2,000

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Reduce Maintenance “Liability” During BMP Selection & Design Include low-maintenance, non- structural BMPs Thorough plan review ensures design standards are properly implemented Review the plan as if you were the maintenance crews…or have maintenance staff actually review the plans Get standards off the books and onto site plans!

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Review site plans with maintenance in mind Require detailed maintenance plan –Inspection schedule –Maintenance frequency –Responsible party Require pretreatment Strive to make sediment removal operations quick and easy Design practices with gentle side slopes Include native vegetative “no mow” buffers around stormwater practices Require long-term vegetation management plan Plan Review Checklist Pretreatment Pretreatment Maintenance Access Maintenance Access Landscaping Plan Landscaping Plan Plan Review Checklist Pretreatment Pretreatment Maintenance Access Maintenance Access Landscaping Plan Landscaping Plan

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Conduct Inspections During AND After Construction Use inspections to check progress and quality of installation, not just for erosion and sediment control Annual maintenance inspections Use detailed inspection checklists 1 FTE: 250 to 500 BMPs/year Third party inspections?

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Routine and Thorough Inspections After Construction Annual inspections Detailed inspection checklists Measurements where available Mark problem areas (e.g. spray paint) Issue work orders to correct problems Third party inspections?

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Synchronize Field Data and Office Data

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Educate and Involve the Maintainers BMP “owner’s manuals” and other educational materials “Adopt-a-Pond” programs Volunteer cleanup events

Horsley Witten Group, Inc. Questions?