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Impervious Area
What is Impervious surface?
The Beckley Stormwater Ordinance defines "Impervious area" as land area covered by buildings, pavement, gravel or other material that significantly inhibits stormwater from penetrating the soil. Because of its composition or compacted nature, impervious areas impede or prevent natural infiltration of water, thus these areas cause significant increased volumes of runoff from precipitation and quicker peak flows of discharge, which contributes to downstream drainage problems and urban flooding.
Impervious areas also accumulate large quantities of solids, oil and greases, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bacteria and metals such as lead and zinc which are washed off of these surfaces and become polluntants in local waterways. Research shows the amount of impervious areas within watersheds are the most important determinant of waterbody health/degradation.
Across the United States, stormwater utility's use impervious area based fee structures, because they equitably distribute the costs of operating, maintaining and providing environmental improvement programs among property owners that contribute the greatest to the water quantity and quality problems that large impervious areas generate.
Examples of impervious surfaces
Tennis Court, Roof & Parking lot
Gravel driveway after rain
Stormwater runoff effects from impervious surfaces
Erosion Sediment
Flooding
Pollution
For more information about Stormwater and its effects please visit the follow Web pages:
Beckley Sanitary Board's Public Education Web page
Center for Watershed Protection
Stormwater Utility Fee Calculation Methods
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Remote Sensing
How does BSB determine impervious surface area on your property?
BSB uses a form of digital mapping called Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing to determine the amount of impervious surface area on your parcel.
Impervious surfaces within the Beckley Urban Watershed are identified by means of aerial photography interpretation and derived from a semi-automated multispectral analysis process using computer mapping systems. Once an impervious surfaces are mapped, technicians use GIS parcel boundary files from the Raleigh County Assessor's Office to digitize and measure, in squared feet the total area of impervious surface for a particular parcel. The impervious surface areas for that property are totaled and then input into the Beckley Sanitary Board billing system. Impervious areas are billed at a monthly rate of $1.25 per 1,000 square feet of impervious area. An exmaple of this billing structure is shown below:
Stormwater Fee Related Documents
Downloadable Forms & Templates
As a stormwater customer you have the right to request an adjustment of your stormwater fee if you feel the calculation of impervious surface on your lot is incorrect. Adjustment requests can be based on the location, existence, area, or construction of an impervious surface. Adjustment requests based upon the existence of gravel driveways and parking areas will not be accepted.
If you have a question about the impervious area on your property, you are entitled to a map showing the impervious areas contained on your property. Map requests will be fulfilled by contacting the Stormwater Department at 304-256-1760. Once a customer has reviewed the map of impervious areas, if the information supports a fee adjustment request, the customer should complete the Stormwater Fee Adjustment Request Form. This form describes in detail the submittal requirements for adjustment requests.