Stormwater Utility

1. What does the bi-monthly Stormwater Utility fee pay for?

2. Why do I pay a Stormwater Utility fee when I don't have ditches or drain inlets on or near my property?

The water that leaves your property (runoff), either from irrigation or rainfall, ultimately drains into a County maintained drainage facility. You are assessed a fee because this runoff contributes to the need for maintenance.

3. Does the Stormwater Utility maintain ditches that cross private property?

Stormwater Utility crews can only maintain ditches or other drainage facilities on private property if the facility is within a drainage easement granted to the County and if the facility carries runoff from upstream property. Without an easement, the responsibility for maintaining the ditch, pipe or channel falls on the property owner. If you would like more information about easements call (916) 875-RAIN (7246).

4. What restrictions are there for activities within a drainage easement?

Drainage easements must be accessible to maintenance crews at all times. Any owner-initiated obstruction of an easement (such as a shed, fence, patio or other structure) is subject to removal at the owner's expense.

5. Why don't crews clean the storm drains before the first rain?

The Department of Water Resources' Stormwater Utility regularly cleans and clears the storm drain system by following a five-year cleaning schedule for more than 2,000 miles of County maintained drainage pipes. Pipes that have a history of problems are cleaned yearly. Storm drain inlets may not have debris on or around them, but the pipes underground may be clogged, causing a water backup. The Stormwater Utility welcomes calls from the public notifying us of problem storm drains and encourages residents to help by keeping storm drains near their homes and businesses clear of debris.

6. Is my property in a floodplain?

Water Resources offers several options to determine if your parcel is in a flood zone.


• Call the Flood Zone Hotline at (916) 874-7517 or fax your request to (916) 874-3789, and provide your name, address, e-mail address and parcel number.
  
• Come to our front counter, located at 827 7th Street, Room 430 in downtown Sacramento, anytime between
  9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., to view the floodplain map.
  
• Log onto www.saccounty.net (search: StormReady) and click on the flood zone information request button.

7. Do I need flood insurance?

Any structure located in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated flood plain, that is purchased, constructed or improved with funding from a federally regulated bank or lending institution is required by law to be covered by a separate flood insurance policy. Most homeowners' insurance policies DO NOT cover flooding. However, even if not located in a FEMA designated floodplain, your structure could still be at risk of flooding and would be able to obtain flood insurance at a preferred rate. Flood insurance protects property owners from the financial consequences of a flood. Sacramento County participates in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, which makes flood insurance available for all County residents.

8. How do I purchase flood insurance?

To buy a flood insurance policy, contact your insurance agent. If your agent does not write flood insurance or you don't have an agent, you can call the National Flood Insurance Program's toll free number to obtain the name of an agent in your area who does write flood insurance.
The number to call is 1-888-CALL FLOOD.