Stormwater Fees; Impacts on and Involvement of Environmental justice Communities

Drafted an article evaluating the need for and the possibility of a stormwater fee in New York City, and how strong and equitable incentives for green infrastructure, via credits to the fee for the installation and maintenance of stormwater capture efforts (e.g., bioswales/rain gardens, rain barrels, green/blue roofs, permeable pavers, etc.) could ensure improve the environmental health of the city and ensure that environmental justice communities benefit as well as more affluent parts of the city. A stormwater fee would incentivize green infrastructure on both private and public property, reaching a much larger percentage of property in the city than any other city effort. A stormwater fee, if effective and equitable incentives for green infrastructure are included, can ensure that green infrastructure is equitably distributed throughout the city, and could potentially alleviate the limited amounts of green space, higher than average unemployment rates, and higher than average adverse health impacts, such as asthma, in environmental justice communities. The article included a review of other cities’ stormwater fee programs and the different options for credits for green infrastructure, how environmental justice communities might benefit from increased green infrastructure, NYC’s existing green infrastructure programs, and the legal framework for a stormwater fee in NYC, among other topics.