Paying for municipal stormwater services : a case study on drivers of stormwater user fees in three Massachusetts communities

Urban stormwater is a major source of pollution in U.S. water bodies. Addressing the problem of stormwater pollution at the municipal level can be expensive, from infrastructure maintenance to implementing regulatory best practices. These needs have put pressure on municipalities to look for a stable source of revenue that extends beyond general tax appropriations for public works projects. In this context, stormwater user fees have remained a hotly debated topic in local budget discussions and national forums about stormwater management. In comparison to the rest of the country, the adoption of fees in Massachusetts communities is plagued by low uptake. This thesis aims to understand the surprisingly small proliferation and early adaptation of stormwater user fees in Massachusetts by identifying the local drivers of fee adoption as an alternative to using local tax income in three communities: Chicopee, Fall River and Northampton. Through a descriptive case study approach using qualitative interviews and publicly available data, the research underscores four key drivers apparent in local fee adoption: financial pressure, local history, governance arrangements of budgets, and cost equity. Ultimately, communities face numerous tradeoffs that affect the momentum and intricacy of the fee adoption process. Lessons learned about the local drivers of stormwater user fees in these three cases are specifically applicable to the Massachusetts context, but can serve as a guide for other New England municipalities considering new fees.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Anantapadmanabhan, Anisha

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gabriella Carolini.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104996

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/104996