City of Columbus - File #: 2985-2023

• File #: 2985-2023
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Passed
• File created: 10/20/2023
• In control: Public Utilities Committee
• On agenda: 12/4/2023
• Final action: 12/7/2023
• Title: To authorize the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to pay the annual discharge fees for fiscal year 2023 to the State of Ohio, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage and the Division of Stormwater; to authorize the expenditure of $103,500.00 from the Sewer Operating Sanitary Fund and $10,000.00 from the Storm Sewer Operating Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($113,500.00)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/7/2023	1	CITY CLERK	Attest
12/6/2023	1	ACTING MAYOR	Signed
12/4/2023	1	COUNCIL PRESIDENT	Signed
12/4/2023	1	Columbus City Council	Approved	Pass

Explanation

This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department Public Utilities to pay the State of Ohio, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), annual discharge fees for the Jackson Pike and Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plants, and the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) annual discharge fee for fiscal year 2023.

House Bill 152 of the 120th Ohio General Assembly became law in July 1993. This law created a series of fees to provide financial support for the OEPA, including an annual wastewater treatment plant discharge fee and an annual municipal stormwater discharge fee assessed to holders of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.

The Division of Sewerage and Drainage (DOSD) holds two such wastewater treatment plant discharge permits: Jackson Pike permit number 4PF00000 and Southerly permit number 4PF00001. The Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge fee is $41,400.00, while the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge fee is $62,100.00. Each payment is due by January 30, 2024. A ten percent (10%) penalty is assessed if payment is not received on or before that date.

The fees for 2023 are based upon the average daily discharge flow in million gallons per day (MGD) for each facility using flow data between May 1 and October 31 for the previous year. During this period, the Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plant averaged 69.08 MGD and the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant averaged 114.56 MGD.

The Division of Stormwater also holds a discharge permit: municipal storm water discharge permit number 4PI00000*DD. Fees for this permit are calculated as ten dollars per one-tenth of square mile of area permitted (not to exceed $10,000) for the previous year. The total area of the Columbus MS4, 225.79 square miles of area permitted, is well above the threshold for this cap, so the Stormwater section’s discharge fee is $10,000.00. This payment is also due on January 30, 2024 and is subject to the s...