Stormwater Utility

Stormwater Management's mission is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens by providing adequate drainage and flood control within the community and to reduce the pollution of our nation's waterways by implementing a comprehensive Stormwater quality management program.

Do you wonder what the stormwater charges on your water bill mean and what they are paying for? Here is a quick rundown:

• The ERU fee funds the Stormwater Utility and builds, maintains, and repairs the publically owned portions of the drainage system throughout the City of Wichita.
• The ERU fee funds compliance with the pollution prevention and reduction requirements from the EPA.
• The ERU fee also provides half of the funding for the Wichita-Valley Center Floodway (Big Ditch) maintenance and repair.
• ERU - Stands for Equivalent Residential Unit, and is a measurement of impervious area. One ERU equals 2,139 square feet. Two ERUs equals 4,278 square feet, and so on.
• Impervious Area - Any hard surface area (concrete, rooftop, etc.) that prevents stormwater from soaking into the soil, like it would under natural conditions. Impervious area increases the amount of runoff to the stormwater drainage system, which means that larger inlets and pipes have to be built, and maintained, in order to handle that runoff.
• Residential properties are on a tier system paying $2.00/month for each ERU, up to a maximum of 3 ERUs. Commercial properties pay $2.00/month for every ERU the property covers.
• The Stormwater Base Rate of $1.50/month applies to all properties and is not based on impervious area.

Flood Control

Construction Encroachments Within Project

Proposed construction activity within the Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control project shall have City and Tulsa Corps of Engineers acceptance prior to construction. Plans and written summary of the proposed project along with supporting hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for review should be emailed to Mark Hall. The City manages and operates the Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control project and is responsible for all construction activities located within the project's right-of-way. The City of Wichita will handle all communications with the Tulsa Corps of Engineers. Please view the attached map to see if you are within the project limits.

View the map

All construction activity within flood control right-of-way must be in compliance with the Corps' levee construction manual EM 1110-2-1913. The following general note shall be added to the construction plans where the project limits extend into the Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control Project:

"The Contractor shall not stockpile any material, equipment, or rubble in the Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control Right-of-Way. The Contractor shall notify Jim Hardesty, Division Manager, at (316) 268-8317 at least three working days prior to the starting of the project. He shall be provided a timetable of the project and the assurance that any damage occurring to the floodway will be rectified before completion of the project."

Routine Maintenance Tasks

• Inspects and cleans 950 flap and sluice gates.
  
• Seeds, fertilizes, and mulches 20 acres.
  
• Hand cut 50 acres of trees and brush from the floodway.
  
• Repairs fencing on the project.
  
• Completes floodway, roadway, and levee grading as required.
  
• Mows 8,612 acres.
  
• Completes 400,000 cubic yards of erosion repairs.
  
• Performs maintenance of the Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control project "Big Ditch".