MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council discusses the storm water utility rate at 7 p.m. tonight in the council chambers.

City staff is requesting direction from the city council on how to draft a final ordinance to establish a utility rate and whether to give a financial credit to utility bill payers who use on-site storm water treatment.

Staff held three public meetings to give information on the state Department of Ecology (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements imposed on the city. The meetings drew a total of 13 citizens who attended, according to the city.

At the meetings, people learned about the proposed fee to cover the cost to treat storm water.

Staff reports the estimated monthly fee to cover the new requirement to be about $3 per month per residence. The fee is based on the average impervious ground surface per average single family dwelling. The city reports the average is about 4,000 square feet and includes home space, garage space and driveways.

An impervious ground surface is any surface that does not absorb water. Grassy areas are not taken into account with the estimation because it absorbs and filters water.

“Staff used aerial photos to digitize more than 300 of the 5,100 residential properties then averaged them to determine the 4,000 square feet,” staff reported in a city document.

To find the monthly rate for a nonresidential property, such as a commercial building or industrial area, the city determines the total amount of impervious ground surface, divides it by 4,000 square feet, then multiplies it by the residential rate.

All property owners or utility bill payers would be required to pay the monthly rate with the exception of undeveloped, unaltered property.

If the City of Moses Lake does not comply with the requirement by the end of the year, they can be fined thousands of dollars per day under federal law.