The City of Norwalk is currently assessing ways to improve our local sustainability and we need to hear from you! To that end, please fill out the following survey which requires you to watch and react to a short informational video.
The entire survey should take no more than 10 minutes of your time and at the end you will be provided an opportunity to enter for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card to be used anywhere Visa is accepted. Please note entry to the contest after the survey will not compromise the anonymity of your survey responses.
This survey is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. For translation, please select your preferred language from the drop down menu in the upper right.
Please choose which area most closely describes your neighborhood (select one):
Efforts to improve local economic conditions and the overall business environment. | Initiatives to improve the environment such as green infrastructure, more street trees, and improved water quality. | Programs to improve social equity. | Other | |
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When rain, snow, or another type of precipitation hits a surface, it becomes stormwater. In natural landscapes, stormwater gets soaked up into the ground or falls directly into waterbodies. However, when rain or water hit hard surfaces like pavement, sidewalks, and roofs it creates stormwater runoff which picks up and transports many of the pollutants it encounters. A stormwater management fee can provide resources to manage stormwater and is typically based on the proportion of impervious surfaces on a property, such as concrete or asphalt, which do not absorb rainwater.
Please watch the following video prompt, and indicate your level of agreement with each statement regarding the positive impact a stormwater management fee could have in the City of Norwalk. After you start the video, you can turn on the subtitles by clicking on the settings icon and choosing your preferred language.
A stormwater management fee would provide valuable resources to improve local infrastructure and environmental conditions.
A stormwater management fee would help Norwalk address the impacts of climate change by cleaning streams, rivers, and lakes; reducing flood risk; and decreasing the cost of flood damage in the community.
A stormwater management fee would provide additional resources to expedite the development of infrastructure and improve Norwalk’s ability to adapt and respond to changing environmental conditions.
If I were buying a home in Norwalk, I would be comfortable paying a modest fee if I knew it would improve the environment and protect vulnerable areas from flood damage.
Other communities in Connecticut have stormwater management programs. The Clean Water Fund in New Britain estimates an average fee of $52 per year for the typical single-family home. I would pay a similar amount for improved stormwater management and infrastructure in the community.
Properties that generate more stormwater runoff and additional impact on local infrastructure should pay more than properties generating less stormwater.
Please indicate your level of agreement with each statement regarding the negative impact and risks of a stormwater management fee in the City of Norwalk:
A stormwater management fee would significantly increase the cost of living in Norwalk.
A stormwater management fee would do little to improve the environment.
A stormwater management fee would disproportionately impact lower income households and small businesses.
A stormwater management fee would increase costs without improving Norwalk’s ability to adapt and respond to climate change.