A Wealth of Water Resources

Support Services

WSA support services can offer valuable information and resources to commercial and residential customers who want to learn more about their local water service provider

Have questions? View our Frequently Asked Questions!

Stormwater Services

WSA has been managing stormwater services for Douglas County since 2004. Regulating stormwater is an often misunderstood arm of programs offered by WSA but it plays a vitally important role in the health and wellbeing of our community.

What is stormwater?
Stormwater is the water that runs off houses, buildings, roof tops, driveways, sidewalks, roads, and other impervious surfaces, which are surfaces which won’t allow rain to soak into the ground. The more pervious surface in your community, the greater the amount of stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff can pick up debris, dirt, and other pollutants and carry them directly into local streams, lakes, and other water sources.

What is WSA’s stormwater management service?
Stormwater management includes any effort to control the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. In Douglas County, that includes stormwater infrastructure projects, stormwater education, and stormwater regulation, among other initiatives for good stormwater stewardship. WSA’s Basic Stormwater Facility Maintenance Policy can be read here and gives an overview of the role and responsibilities WSA has in regards to stormwater in our community.

What national and local requirements does WSA’s stormwater program satisfy?
WSA is responsible for all activities and programs required to comply with federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II requirements, which include, at a minimum, the following components: (1) Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Issues, (2) Public Involvement and Participation, (3) Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, (4) Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control, (5) Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development & Redevelopment, and (6) Pollution Prevention. Many of the these requirements were new requirements which had never been addressed before.

With respect to state regulations, WSA is responsible for compliance with all requirements of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District which was created by act of the Georgia Legislature in 2001. Local governments, including the City and the County, must meet all District requirements and comply with the long-term water and wastewater plans of the District, whose purpose is to look at the preservation, conservation, and use of water resources on a comprehensive level throughout sixteen metro Atlanta counties, including Douglas County.

Why do I pay a stormwater fee and what does this fee fund?
Because WSA is not part of the City of Douglasville or the Douglas County government, we receive no tax dollars to fund the required work to satisfy the local and national regulations put forth to manage stormwater in Douglas County. WSA elected to conduct its stormwater program as a stormwater utility, with its fees structured as user charges for services rendered. With the exception of contractual payments and bond revenues, WSA’s sole source of income comes from fees we charge for providing services – including water, wastewater, and stormwater services. In order to provide stormwater services in a fair and equitable way, all residents of Douglas County are charged a stormwater fee regardless of their status as a WSA customer.

Impervious surface, areas that water cannot penetrate such as a driveway or roof, is used as a basis for the fee as the amount of impervious surface on a property generally correlates to the amount of stormwater runoff generated by a property, and, therefore, the burden that the given property adds to the system, which is tied to the benefit the property receives from having the stormwater it contributes to the overall system managed by WSA. The amount of the fee is based on $4.00 for each equivalent residential unit (ERU), which is based on 2,543 square feet of impervious surface, representing the median residential use in Douglas County. All charges for non-residential properties are based on the actual area of impervious surface divided by 2,543 to determine the number of ERU’s, which is then multiplied by the $4.00 base rate. This fee structure was established based on the Authority’s estimated annual costs for providing stormwater management services at an acceptable level, and the fees collected are designated and used solely for that purpose.

Maintenance

If you need to report a leak or other maintenance problem, please see below.

WSA’s Maintenance Division handles a wide variety of water, sewer, and stormwater services that you may require at some point. Listed below are links to helpful information on several common maintenance subjects you may have questions about. If you are unable to find the information you are looking, please email us at [email protected].

Easements

Sewer Laterals

Sewer Inspections and Smoke Testing

Finance

WSA is a public body corporation. The Authority has no taxing powers, is not part of the City of Douglasville or Douglas County governments, and does not receive any tax revenue from City or County governments. An annual audit is performed at the end of each fiscal year. Copies of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report can be viewed below.