Ahh, serendipity. I was about to blog about how the Mt. Pleasant Stormwater Utility Program just sent around a newsletter with their annual bill (Check out the previous years). It’s a fine little doc, and has important info about keeping pollutants out of the storm drains, yadda yadda yadda.

Then today I read in the P&C that Mount Pleasant might raise their annual stormwater fee from $18 to $22. That’s four bucks, big deal. Well Prentiss Findlay thinks this is baaaaaad. S/he cites that half of the increase will go to pay for a full-time staffer to manage the program. Why is having someone paying attention to water pollutants a problem? We live in the middle of a beautiful natural marsh, and we should try to keep it that way.

The federally mandated program asks local municipalities to monitor water quality, map the storm drain system, identify and eliminate pollution, and educate the public about reducing residential pollutants. The town council is calling this a nightmare, and insists the project is just too big in scope. I’m just surprised they weren’t already doing this stuff. This is worth $4 to me - what am I missing here?