Base Fee: This is the minimum program fee of $61.00, paid by condominium, single family, duplex, and triplex properties, as well as vacant or undeveloped sites.

Base Fee Capped: These are properties in the above category that have more than one acre of impervious surface onsite. Their fee is "capped" at one acre, which is $610.00 (10x the fee for one-tenth acre).

Directly Assessed: These are commercial, educational, institutional, industrial, or other developed properties who pay $61.00 per tenth-acre of impervious surface onsite. Properties in this fee category are eligible to apply for fee credits up to 50% of the site’s fee.

Impervious surfaces are areas that cover the natural ground and do not allow for easy infiltration of rainfall; they include any paved areas (driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, roads, buildings) and dirt, gravel, or other compacted areas (parking areas, roads).

Stormwater management is important both because of what stormwater carries and how fast it moves. Water has tremendous power and can cause erosion, property and roadway damage, river bank instability, and other safety concerns when moving quickly. However, the primary concern is that when rain falls and water rushes off of our roads and driveways, it also picks up oils, debris, bacteria, and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus naturally found in soils. This stormwater carries these pollutants to our streams and rivers, which all drain to Lake Champlain.

These nutrients accumulate and can cause cyanobacteria, algae blooms, and threaten the quality of our water bodies. Numerous waterways in our community are considered impaired by the State of Vermont, by sediment, bacteria, phosphorus, or chloride, and as a result the town has millions of dollars worth of required investments to make in our stormwater systems by 2036. The stormwater program was specifically adopted to ensure the community has the technical capacity and financial resources to meet these long-term obligations.

During the summer months, the town tests for bacteria at Bayside Beach and other locations twice weekly.

Note: The VT Department of Health currently tests for blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria (the town does not test). Visit the Department of Health website to view their interactive map.  Select "Colchester" from the dropdown menu to see current testing results.