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Stormwater


Taylor Spring Detention Basin Under Construction In The Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority Area
By Scott Rogers  •  September 8, 2022     
Taylor Spring Detention Basin

Homeowners on low lying building lots within the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority Area may soon have some relief when it comes to stormwater issues affecting their property.

One of the main stormwater management interventions being put in place by the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority is the construction of the Taylor Spring Detention Basin... and that is well under way!

The localized flooding experienced in some parts of some neighborhoods in the stormwater authority area have been a result of water flowing through the area towards Lake Shenandoah... and now (soon) stormwater flowing through the area will be detained in this new (large!) stormwater basin before continuing downstream to Lake Shenandoah.

Rockingham County purchased 28.9 acres back in 2020 and the County is now constructing a 6.7 acre detention basin.  This basin is not designed to permanently store the water as it is expected to drain within a few days of a rain event.

Read much more about this Stormwater Basin project and see many more photos in this update as of about a month ago.
 
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Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority to Construct New Taylor Spring Detention Basin
By Scott Rogers  •  May 18, 2022     
Lake Shenandoah Stormwater

If you live in the Lake Shenandoah Drainage Area you are currently paying an additional tax alongside your real estate tax... with the new tax going to the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority. 

The tax per property is based on $0.08 per year per square foot of rooftop area and went into effect in December 2020.

Also in 2020, Rockingham County purchased a 28.878 acre property within the Lake Shenandoah Drainage Area for use as a stormwater storage area.

Now, more details have emerged via an invitation to bid that closes today.  Per the government documents, work is to be completed by December 1, 2022.

This new stormwater facility will be located on land that is currently undeveloped between Barrington, Kentshire Estates, Lakewood, Taylor Spring and Taylor Grove subdivisions in the area outlined in pink/purple above.

View engineering plans for the stormwater facility by clicking the image below...

Lake Shenandoah Stormwater

 
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Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Rockingham County Completed (in August 2020) Purchase of 28.878 Acres for Stormwater Management
By Scott Rogers  •  February 2, 2021     
Stormwater Authority
  (view a larger image here)

I'm late to the party.  Thankfully, someone asked if this land transfer had happened, and when I looked, I was surprised to find that it had taken place!

As I have mentioned before, Rockingham County had been considering the purchase of approximately 27 Acres between Barrington and Lakewood for stormwater management purposes. 

This was the lay of the land back in July 2020...
The County does not have a design for how the property will be used, but according to Lisa Perry, (Environmental and Land Use Manager for Rockingham County) it is safe to say that the low lying areas of the parcel will be used for stormwater storage capacity.

My understanding is that only half of the property will be needed for stormwater management and that the County intends to use the other half of the land for a future County park once funding is available to build the park.
I'll work on getting an update on any potential plans for a layout for use of the land.

But in the meantime, I'll point out that the sale of the land has been completed.  The "Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority" purchased 28.878 acres as shown above back in August 2020 for $1,850,000.  I'll save you the math and let you know that it sold for approximately $64K per acre.
  
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Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Rockingham County Considers Purchase of 27 Acres Between Barrington, Lakewood for Stormwater Management Purposes
By Scott Rogers  •  July 13, 2020     
27 Acres

Rockingham County will likely purchase the 27-ish acre parcel on Taylor Spring Lane between Barrington and Lakewood to use for managing stormwater in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.

The purchase has not been finalized, but the County is in discussions with the land owner regarding the purchase.

The County does not have a design for how the property will be used, but according to Lisa Perry, (Environmental and Land Use Manager for Rockingham County) it is safe to say that the low lying areas of the parcel will be used for stormwater storage capacity.

My understanding is that only half of the property will be needed for stormwater management and that the County intends to use the other half of the land for a future County park once funding is available to build the park.

Here's a reminder of some of the details of the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority...

Stormwater Authority

If you live in (or own property in) the area shown above, you'll have a new tax to pay come December 2020 - a fee that will go towards funding upgrades in the stormwater infrastructure in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.
  • The annual fee is $0.08 per square foot of rooftop.
     
  • The fee will be included in your real estate tax bill, but as a separate item.
     
  • Property owners will pay $0.04 per square foot of rooftop area starting in December 2020 and ending in 2030.
These fees should bring in approximately $2.8 million over the next ten years - though the total estimated costs for the needed infrastructure improvements are between $3.15 million and $4.75 million.

Also in their June meeting, the Lake Shenandoah Storm water Control Authority Board (made up of the same members as the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors)
  • Authorized staff to borrow up to $2,850,000.
     
  • Authorized staff to proceed with purchasing a property for constructing a stormwater detention facility.
     
  • Directed that $925K from the General Fund be applied towards the purchase of the property.
If you live in this area, hopefully the news of this new tax isn't a surprise to you -- as it has been discussed for about a year now.  The County held the first public hearing on this matter back in July 2019. 

Learn more about the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority here.

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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Rockingham County Approves Stormwater Fee for Properties In Lake Shenandoah Watershed
By Scott Rogers  •  June 30, 2020     
Stormwater Authority

If you live in (or own property in) the area shown above, you'll have a new tax to pay come December 2020 - a fee that will go towards funding upgrades in the stormwater infrastructure in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.
  • The annual fee is $0.08 per square foot of rooftop.
     
  • The fee will be included in your real estate tax bill, but as a separate item.
     
  • Property owners will pay $0.04 per square foot of rooftop area starting in December 2020 and ending in 2030.
These fees should bring in approximately $2.8 million over the next ten years - though the total estimated costs for the needed infrastructure improvements are between $3.15 million and $4.75 million.

Also in their June meeting, the Lake Shenandoah Storm water Control Authority Board (made up of the same members as the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors)
  • Authorized staff to borrow up to $2,850,000.
     
  • Authorized staff to proceed with purchasing a property for constructing a stormwater detention facility.
     
  • Directed that $925K from the General Fund be applied towards the purchase of the property.
If you live in this area, hopefully the news of this new tax isn't a surprise to you -- as it has been discussed for about a year now.  The County held the first public hearing on this matter back in July 2019. 

Learn more about the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority here.
 
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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Fee Structure Proposed for Property Owners in Lake Shenandoah Watershed
By Scott Rogers  •  February 26, 2020     
Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority
   download a high resolution PDF here

The Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority (currently made up of the members of the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors) have set a proposed fee schedule for collecting revenue from property owners within the Lake Shenandoah Watershed to allow for funding of the stormwater management improvements needed within the watershed.

A public hearing will be held on March 25, 2020 regarding the fees, but here are some details of the proposed fee structure...
  • Average fee per property = $276.19 per year ($23 / month)
     
  • Townhome owners would likely pay around $80 per year ($7 / month)
     
  • Fees are calculated based on rooftop square footage.
     
  • The fee is $0.10 per square foot of rooftop.
     
  • The fee will be included in your real estate tax bill, but as a separate item.
     
  • The Stormwater Authority will mail out letters to property owners to notify them of the potential fees.
In other news, the Stormwater Authority is considering moving forward with The Timmons Group to provide engineering services to determine appropriate flood mitigation projects.

As shown on the map above, the Stormwater Control Authority will include all or part of the following areas:
  • Barrington
  • Briarcrest
  • Bridlewood
  • Chestnut Ridge
  • Congers Creek
  • Crescent Ridge
  • Cullison Creek
  • Hamlet Hill Estates
  • Highland Park
  • Kentshire Estates
  • Lake Pointe
  • Lake View Golf Course
  • Lakewood Estates
  • Massanetta Springs Conference Center
  • Massanetta Springs Cottage Community
  • Preston Lake
  • Quarles Business Park
  • Spring Oaks
  • Sunnyside Retirement Community
  • Taylor Grove I & II
  • Taylor Spring
  • Town and Country Landing
  • Wellstone

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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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All The Areas That Will Pay A Bit Extra In Taxes To Help Manage Stormwater in The Lake Shenandoah Watershed
By Scott Rogers  •  October 29, 2019     
Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority
   download a high resolution PDF here

In late August, the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority.  The authority will work to manage stormwater and mitigate damage from that stormwater throughout the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.  Read more via the DNR on 8/29/2019) here.

The Authority will potentially spend around $3.2 million to improve the stormwater system by creating new detention facilities and increasing the capacity of ditches and pipes. 

Property owners in the area shown above will pay some additional taxes that will fund the work of this Stormwater Authority, though the Authority will also pursue grant funding for the needed infrastructure improvements.

As shown on the map above, the Stormwater Control Authority will include all or part of the following areas:
  • Barrington
  • Briarcrest
  • Bridlewood
  • Chestnut Ridge
  • Congers Creek
  • Crescent Ridge
  • Cullison Creek
  • Hamlet Hill Estates
  • Highland Park
  • Kentshire Estates
  • Lake Pointe
  • Lake View Golf Course
  • Lakewood Estates
  • Massanetta Springs Conference Center
  • Massanetta Springs Cottage Community
  • Preston Lake
  • Quarles Business Park
  • Spring Oaks
  • Sunnyside Retirement Community
  • Taylor Grove I & II
  • Taylor Spring
  • Town and Country Landing
  • Wellstone
 
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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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There Might Not Be Anyone To Blame For Urban Flooding in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed Area
By Scott Rogers  •  August 19, 2019     
Stormwater

If your house, or street, or neighborhood floods during heavy rainfall events in the Lake Shenandoah watershed area, it likely seems that someone must be at fault - someone must have messed up - someone must be blamed for the drainage problems.

But who is to blame?

Many neighborhoods were developed just southeast of Harrisonburg over the past 20 years - and in each case, the developer would be told by the County how to develop the land from a stormwater perspective based on requirements from the State. 

So - if the State (Commonwealth of Virginia) creates guidelines, the County enforces them, and the developer implements them, who is to blame if your house, street or neighborhood is flooding?

It is tempting to say that the developer must be at fault - but they were just doing what the County was telling them to do to manage stormwater.

We could then blame County officials - but they were just doing what the state was telling them to do to manage stormwater.

So, hmmm....

Here's a bit of further commentary from Mr. Miller (the County's attorney) at the public hearing held by the Board of Supervisors...
"Mr. Miller reiterated that this public hearing discussion is about stormwater runoff. He noted that not that long ago, stormwater regulations were inadequate compared to how people look at them today. Some developments added in the Lake Shenandoah watershed area not long ago were developed consistent with state-mandated mitigation requirements in place at that time, and that the program was administered by the state, not the local government. Mr. Miller said expectations have been rising at an accelerated rate in the last few years, and many of the current problems probably would not exist if the regulations in place today and administrated by the local government had been in place ten years ago."
So, if everything was being done based on what the experts at the state were mandating - then it seems that local builders, developers and County officials aren't really the ones to be blaming for urban flooding.

Yes, if all of these neighborhoods were developed today, the developer would be told by the County to do more to mitigate stormwater based on requirements from the state - but those guidelines and requirements were not in place when these neighborhoods were developed.

A few other related notes...
  1. Ironically, one of the reasons why we don't see very many new "for sale" neighborhoods being developed and built today is because the high cost to the landowner or developer of abiding by the much more stringent stormwater management requirements.  That is not to say that the requirements should be loosened to allow homes to be built that would have stormwater issues in the future - but it is worth mentioning that at least part of the reason why we are not seeing more new homes being built for buyers to buy is a result of these increased stormwater management requirements.
     
  2. If developers a decade ago developed properties as they were told to develop them, it doesn't seem realistic or reasonable to think that they would need to come back and cure these issues.  Or, as Mr. Miller put it at the public hearing -- "Mr. Miller indicated that he does not know of any mechanism to get developers to contribute money for something they did eight to fifteen years ago; if for no other reason, what they did was in accordance with state regulations at the time."
If this topic interests you, consider attending the Work Session on the topic to be held this Wednesday (August 21, 2019) at 6:00 PM at the Rockingham County Administration Center.  No action will be taken at the meeting, but it is an opportunity for further discussion and input.
 
Also, as a refresher, these recent conversations are a result of the County's proposal to create a Stormwater Authority specifically for the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.  The Authority could potentially spend around $3.2 million to improve the stormwater system by creating new detention facilities and increasing the capacity of ditches and pipes. 

If the cost of these potential improvements was divided evenly between the affected parcels, it would cost approximately $200 per year per parcel.  Though...

"Mr. Miller stated these are only estimates, because there are too many unknowns until engineering studies are conducted. Assistant County Administrator Armstrong noted that the $3.2 million cost is with no contribution from state or federal grants that the County may be able to obtain to offset costs."
 
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Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Resolution to Create Stormwater Authority Tabled
By Scott Rogers  •  July 22, 2019     
Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority

Rockingham County is proposing that a Stormwater Control Authority be created in the area shown above in blue.  Learn more here.

A public hearing was held on July 17, 2019 and it drew quite a crows (70+ people) and lead to several hours of discussion.  At the end of the meeting, the Board of Supervisors decided that they needed to spend more time looking into the comments and concerns raised by local residents.  The Board tabled the resolution that would have created the authority, and it is not clear when any next steps will be taken.

It seems that much of the concern and discussion was related to how to pay for the needed upgrades to the stormwater system.  I don't think anyone questions that those upgrades are needed.  Here is an excerpt from a July 18, 2019 article in the Daily News Record, Stormwater Authority Tabled...
Many of the concerns looming during the hearing were how to fund capital costs.

Preliminary estimates of capital costs were stated to be $3.16 million, but it is a rough estimate, according to County Attorney Thomas Miller. The amount of capital costs will depend on numerous factors that have not been determined by the board of the authority after consultation with engineers.

Assistant County Administrator Casey Armstrong said the estimate does not include state and/or federal funding that may be available in the future.

Lisa Perry, the environmental manager for the county, said during a work session in April that there were different ways the county could go about allocating funding, such as grant funding, the Virginia Department of Transportation revenue sharing or funding from the county's general fund, which the committee recommended.

No determination has been made concerning when and how fees will be assessed, but fees will likely be related to the amount of impervious area on each property, according to the county's website.
For further context, the County's website (linked above) explains that...
  1. This proposal is a result of the urban flooding that has occurred in these areas for several years, causing frequent property and structure damage.  County staff has collaborated with engineering consultants and a citizen stormwater committee and they have concluded that the stormwater infrastructure in this area must be upgraded -- in both capacity and function.  
     
  2. You can use the GIS (turn on the "Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority" layer under "Hydrological Features") to see if your property is located in this area -- or access this list of affected properties.
     
  3. Fees would potentially be assessed to each property within this area, though what those fees would be as well as when and how they would be assessed has not yet been determined.  (The public notice of the public hearing does reference that the preliminary estimate of capital costs would be $3,169,200.)
     
  4. Specific plans of what types of improvements to the stormwater infrastructure would be made, and where they would be made, has not yet been determined.
     
  5. For further reading, download the Lake Shenandoah Watershed Master Plan from November 2013.

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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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Rockingham County Considers Creating Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority
By Scott Rogers  •  June 18, 2019     
Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority

Rockingham County is proposing that a Stormwater Control Authority be created in the area shown above in blue.  Learn more here.

The link above takes us to some great FAQ's, which explain that...
  1. This proposal is a result of the urban flooding that has occurred in these areas for several years, causing frequent property and structure damage.  County staff has collaborated with engineering consultants and a citizen stormwater committee and they have concluded that the stormwater infrastructure in this area must be upgraded -- in both capacity and function. 
     
  2. The first step in the potential creation of this Stormwater Control Authority is a public hearing that is scheduled for July 17th at 6:00 PM.
     
  3. You can use the GIS (turn on the "Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority" layer under "Hydrological Features") to see if your property is located in this area -- or access this list of affected properties.
     
  4. Fees would potentially be assessed to each property within this area, though what those fees would be as well as when and how they would be assessed has not yet been determined.  (The public notice of the public hearing does reference that the preliminary estimate of capital costs would be $3,169,200.)
     
  5. Specific plans of what types of improvements to the stormwater infrastructure would be made, and where they would be made, has not yet been determined.
     
  6. For further reading, download the Lake Shenandoah Watershed Master Plan from November 2013.
This proposed Stormwater Control Authority would include all or part of the following areas:
  • Barrington
  • Briarcrest
  • Bridlewood
  • Chestnut Ridge
  • Congers Creek
  • Crescent Ridge
  • Cullison Creek
  • Hamlet Hill Estates
  • Highland Park
  • Kentshire Estates
  • Lake Pointe
  • Lake View Golf Course
  • Lakewood Estates
  • Massanetta Springs Conference Center
  • Massanetta Springs Cottage Community
  • Preston Lake
  • Quarles Business Park
  • Spring Oaks
  • Sunnyside Retirement Community
  • Taylor Grove I & II
  • Taylor Spring
  • Town and Country Landing
  • Wellstone
Again, learn more about this proposal and process here.
 
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Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 23, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).

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