Lacey City Council reviews proposed stormwater strategic plan 

An update to the City of Lacey's stormwater plan recommends the expansion of programs, additional staffing and long-term capital investments through the next 10 years.

The Lacey City Council was presented with details of the proposed 2026-35 Stormwater Strategic Plan at a work session at City Hall on Tuesday, July 28.

City staff said the plan applies goals from the Lacey Comprehensive Plan that will guide the stormwater utility's programs, capital projects and regulatory compliance through 2035.. 

Lacey Stormwater Permit Coordinator Royce Young said the proposal was developed after public outreach that included Lacey Planning Commission briefings, an open house, a community survey and a public hearing. The planning commission later voted unanimously to recommend approval. 

"This plan uses the city's comprehensive plan goals to guide the long-term goals of our stormwater utility," Young said. "It helps keep us in compliance with the ever-evolving state requirements, it helps us address water quality and flooding issues, and allows us to provide information and be transparent with our community." 

The utility's work goes beyond drainage infrastructure. Staff said the city manages more than 7,000 storm drain inlets, over 150 miles of conveyance pipe and more than 50 regional facilities.

Staff also conducts street sweeping, flood response, construction runoff regulation, private facility inspections and pollution prevention assistance. Last year, the city swept more than 9,000 curb miles of roadway. 

Young said the plan responds to requirements in the 2024-29 Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit issued under the federal Clean Water Act. New requirements are added on its five-year renewal cycle. 

New permit requirements include water quality retrofits for older developed areas and controls on 6PPD-quinone, a tire additive linked to salmon deaths and expanded source control.

New requirements also include added mapping, environmental justice provisions, and tree canopy policies and programs addressing firefighting foam and building materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 

Young said the plan folds the utility's long-term goals into current and anticipated permit regulations. He said the recommended funding level lets programs grow to match those goals. 

Staff said the recommended service level also proposes hiring 2.5 additional water resources employees and 3.5 operations employees through 2035.  

Proposed investments include a new vactor truck to clean catch basins on a two-year cycle, a rented neighborhood street sweeper, expanded ditch and culvert maintenance, catch basin repairs and assessments of underground stormwater pipes. 

Council members also reviewed preliminary funding scenarios. Stormwater services are funded through utility fees instead of general tax dollars. 

Staff presented two 2026 rate options for single-family homes. One assumes competitive state grants help finance selected capital projects, raising rates by about 9.5 percent, or $1.46 per month. The second assumes projects proceed regardless of grant awards, raising rates by about 11 percent, or $1.70 per month. 

Lacey Stormwater Engineering Manager Ryan Jewell said grant awards depend largely on project readiness instead of the rate option selected.

Young added that grant awards under the higher rate scenario could allow the city to pursue additional water quality or flood reduction projects beyond the ones already identified in the plan. 

Staff said a more detailed stormwater rate discussion is scheduled for Aug. 25. Council consideration of the strategic plan is expected later this year, as part of annual comprehensive plan amendments.