Eastern Washington
Stormwater Effectiveness Studies
Final Report
BMP Owner Awareness
Study Classification:
â–¡ Structural BMP
 Operational BMP
✓Education & Outreach
Study Objective:
 Evaluate Effectiveness
Compare Effectiveness
Prepared By:
Kelsey Grover, Stormwater Technician
Public Works Department
301 Yakima St
Wenatchee, WA 98801
509-888-3273
Final Report Public Information
The final report will be available on the regional Wenatchee Valley Stormwater Technical Advisory
Committee webpage hosted by the City of Wenatchee, www.wenatcheewa.gov/wvstac.
Final Report Author and Contact Information
Kelsey Grover, Stormwater Technician
City of Wenatchee, Public Works Department
301 Yakima St.
Wenatchee, WA 98801
509-888-3273
[email protected]
1.0
Background
Increasingly dense development within urbanized areas has required improved methods to
manage stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces. The use of pipes and catch basins was
adequate for a time, but rapid urbanization, persistent degradation of natural landscapes,
water quality and climate-change related increases in the amount and intensity of rainfall have
all made stormwater management a high priority. To prevent or minimize water quality impacts
of new and redevelopment projects, Eastern Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater
Permittees were required to develop, implement, and enforce a program to address post-
construction stormwater runoff from public and private projects beginning in 2011. The
minimum requirement set forth by the Permit was a regulatory mechanism for projects
meeting a one-acre threshold to manage a percentage of stormwater onsite using post-
construction best management practices (BMPs). Permitted jurisdictions were also required to
implement a regulatory mechanism to ensure long-term maintenance of the BMPs.
The Permit states that project proponents shall ensure implementation of long-term operation
and maintenance standards to protect water quality and reduce the discharge of pollutants to
the maximum extent practicable. As project are completed, developers transfer BMP
maintenance responsibility to property owners and homeowners associations. In many
jurisdictions, for projects built after 2011, BMP owners have a recorded Declaration of
Stormwater Covenants, also referred to as an Operations and Maintenance Agreement (O&M
agreement), detailing the type, location, and maintenance requirements for the BMP requiring
inspection and maintenance. For many Permittees, the O&M agreement recorded with the
County Auditor at the time of BMP installation is used to inform property owners about the
purpose and maintenance requirements of the BMP. For many projects built before 2011,
information about the stormwater BMP was incorporated into the covenants recorded on the
subdivision plat or in the homeowners’ association covenants.
The effectiveness of the O&M agreement used as the primary mechanism to inform property
owners about their BMP, maintenance responsibilities and purpose of their BMP was evaluated
based on owner awareness of the BMP and the O&M agreement. Surveys responses were
compared from a test group (Test (w/ O&M)), consisting of residents in subdivisions with an
O&M agreement, and a control group (Control (w/o O&M)), consisting of residents in
subdivisions without an O&M agreement, to determine if there was any significant difference in
owner awareness between the two groups.
2.0 Study Method
Goldstreet Design, in collaboration with their research partner, Corona Insights, was hired to
conduct the surveys and provide the statistical analysis of the results. All survey data was
collected by the consultant. The standard operating procedures, notification mailing, and
survey used in this study can be found in Appendix A.
There were two modifications made to the Residential Survey Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) documented in the BMP Owner Awareness Education and Outreach Study Quality
Assurance Project Plan, approved February 14, 2022. The first change to the SOP included
utilizing only a web-based survey and removing the option for a mail in survey. During the
survey validation process, the consultant advised the Technical Advisory Group, for the cost and
effort of mailing and returning paper surveys, the number of responses would be minimal.
Removing the mail survey option was also determined to be more environmentally conscious,
by reducing printed and mailed pages, which would likely be recycled or thrown away. The
second modification to the SOP included the use of an incentive to complete the survey. The
use of an incentive was authorized by consulting with jurisdiction Finance Departments to
determine how the incentive could be included. After a respondent completed the survey, they
would be eligible to enter a drawing for a fifty-dollar Visa gift card. The incentive was offered by
Goldstreet Design and included in the jurisdiction invoices.
2.1 Survey Instrument
The survey instrument was designed to evaluate BMP owner awareness using questions to
address overall knowledge of the BMP, any concerns or attitudes that residents may have
about the BMP, and any maintenance or actions that have been done associated with the BMP.
The homeowner survey was conducted by Goldstreet Design through distribution of a post card
with a QR code and a traditional web link to the survey. To encourage survey responses and
avoid being mistaken as “junk” mail, the postcard was designed with an introduction to
Goldstreet Design and Corona Insights that included the purpose of the survey, the logos for
the jurisdictions in the study area, and a local return address.
2.2 Test and Control Area Surveys
Each jurisdiction in the study area, which includes Chelan County, Douglas County, East
Wenatchee, and Wenatchee, compiled a list of subdivisions meeting the study criteria; one acre
or larger at the time of construction with one or more BMPs serving more than one home. As
development is regularly occurring and to prevent changing population sizes, only subdivisions
which were finalized at the time of the QAPPP approval were included in the study. To
establish the test and control populations when providing the list of subdivisions, the
jurisdictions indicated if the subdivision had an O&M agreement. Subdivisions with an O&M
agreement would be the test population and subdivisions without an O&M agreement would
be the control population. With the list of subdivisions meeting the study criteria, the mailing
list was created by using tax parcel data layers from the County Assessor’s ArcGIS database. The
Test (w/O&M) population consisted of 703 homes and the Control (w/o O&M) population
consisted of 1,345 homes.
Goldstreet Design mailed the survey postcards on January 10, 2023 to all of the homes within
the study area. The online survey was available from January 10, 2023 to February 3, 2023.
3.0 Results
Goldstreet Design and Corona Insights summarized the results of the subdivision survey in a
report. The preliminary data report of the survey data was received from the consultant on
April 5, 2023 and the final data package with all of the data collected by the consultant was
received May 11, 2023. The Goldstreet Design preliminary report and complete survey data
can be found in Appendix B.
3.1
Survey Results
Following the online survey closure, 132 responses were collected. Two of the survey responses
were partial, but considered to be complete enough to include in the final data report. There
were 87 responses from the Control (w/o O&M) population and 45 responses from the Test (w/
O&M) population. The following section presents the survey results from the test and control
group.
3.1.1
Subdivision Survey Responses
Question 1: How familiar are you with the stormwater facility that collects stormwater
for your neighborhood?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Very familiar
36%
38%
Moderately familiar
23%
17%
33%
Somewhat familiar
18%
22%
11%
Slightly familiar
12%
11%
13%
Not at all familiar
11%
14%
132
Question 2: Based on your understanding, whose responsibility is it to maintain the
stormwater facility? Please select all that apply.
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
The local homeowners association
58%
55%
62%
The County
29%
24%
38%
The City
17%
21%
11%
The property owner
Someone else
I don’t know
11%
132
Question 3: How familiar with the Operations & Maintenance Agreement (O&M
agreement) for the stormwater facility in your neighborhood?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Very familiar
13%
Moderately familiar
11%
Somewhat familiar
Slightly familiar
15%
16%
Not at all familiar
59%
63%
51%
Not applicable- Our neighborhood
doesn’t have an O&M agreement
132
Question 4: How concerned are you about the stormwater facility?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Extremely concerned
Somewhat concerned
16%
17%
14%
A little concerned
25%
21%
34%
Not concerned at all
42%
43%
39%
No opinion
10%
132
Question 5: Are you concerned about any of the following related to the stormwater
facility? Please select all that apply.
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Unsafe, steep slopes
11%
30%
49%
Mosquito breeding
36%
22%
27%
Attracting pests (e.g., rats, raccoons)
26%
22%
33%
Flooding
23%
29%
20%
Water Retention
17%
21%
11%
Being Vandalized
10%
11%
Making the neighborhood look bad
26%
Other
10%
31%
None of the above
27%
25%
31%
132
Question 6: Have you ever received any information about the stormwater facility in your
neighborhood?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Yes
21%
17%
29%
79%
83%
71%
132
Questions 7, 8, and 9 of the survey were shown only to respondents who answered “Yes” to
receiving information about the stormwater facility in their neighborhood.
Question 7: Where have your received information from regarding the stormwater facility
in your neighborhood? Please select all that apply?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Title company
Real estate agent
The local homeowner’s association
86%
93%
77%
Local government (City or County)
14%
23%
Other
15%
Don’t recall
Question 8: Based on your understanding, what type of recordkeeping is there regarding
the maintenance of the stormwater facility in your neighborhood? Please select all that
apply.
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Checklist(s)
25%
46%
Photos
14%
13%
15%
Other
None
11%
13%
I don’t know.
54%
67%
38%
Question 9: Based on your understanding, what type of maintenance has been done to
the stormwater facility in your neighborhood? Please select all that apply.
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Mowing the grass
39%
13%
69%
Weed removal
57%
67%
46%
Removing sediment
25%
20%
31%
Cleaning catch basins
21%
27%
15%
Other
11%
15%
I don’t know
Question 10: How often are inspections and maintenance done on the stormwater
facility?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Monthly
Yearly
12%
11%
13%
Only after a major rain event
Never
11%
I don’t know
75%
78%
69%
132
Question 11: What is the best away for you to receive stormwater information about your
neighborhood’s stormwater facility.
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Direct mail to me
56%
60%
49%
Communication through the HOAs
34%
28%
44%
City/ County website
City/ County social media
Something else
131
Demographics
The full list of demographic questions is included in the data report found in Appendix B.
Question 12: How long have you lived at your current residence?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
0-5 years
31%
40%
6-10 years
39%
31%
56%
11-15 years
11%
15%
Longer than 15 years
15%
23%
132
Question 13: Do you rent or own your home?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Rent
Own
99%
100%
132
Question 14: Which of the following categories includes your age?
Total
Control
(w/o O&M)
Test
(w/ O&M)
Under 18
18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
11%
13%
55 to 64
21%
22%
20%
65 or older
50%
46%
58%
132
4.0 Discussion and Recommendations
The data was collected in accordance with the quality control procedures set forth in the QAPP
and was determined to be acceptable. The audit and data verification reports can be found in
Appendix C.
4.1 Discussion of Results
With 132 responses, the response rate for the survey was approximately seven percent. This
response rate is within the typical range of a mailed survey, which often have response rates of
less than 10 percent (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). Due to the relatively low number of survey
responses, the data was presented in percentages because additional statistical analysis would
have increased the margin of error.
Despite the low number of results, the survey to the subdivisions did yield some important
information about BMP owner awareness. Over half (59%) of residents within the study area
are moderately to very familiar with the stormwater facility in their neighborhood. It was also
noted from the study area that respondents who were more familiar with the stormwater
structure in their neighborhood were more likely to know that the local homeowners
association (HOA) is responsible for the maintenance in comparison to those less familiar with
the structure, who were more likely to believe maintenance responsibility fell with the City or
County. When asked about the familiarity with the O&M agreement, over half (59%) of the
total residents were not familiar at all with the O&M agreement. Within the Test (w/O&M)
population, less than half (44%) reported any familiarity with the O&M agreement for their
neighborhood.
The survey was designed to address several factors which may influence awareness of a
stormwater BMP, including concerns related to safety, appearance, or perceptions of
usefulness. When asked about having any concerns about the BMP, approximately half of the
total residents reported having no concerns or no opinion about the BMP; however, when
presented with a specific list of potential concerns, 79% of all residents reported having at least
one concern. The primary concerns identified were steep slopes, mosquito breeding, attracting
pests, and flooding. In the section of the survey which allowed responders to add additional
comments, concerns associated with flooding and steep slopes were reiterated and concerns
were also raised about the stormwater structure becoming a fire hazard due to overgrown
vegetation. Comments suggested the stormwater structures may be oversized and unnecessary
for Eastern Washington weather patterns. The significant percentage of respondents indicating
they had one or more concerns about the BMP may reveal while not everyone is familiar with
the specifics associated with the BMP, there may be a larger population aware of the structure
or if problems are occurring, though they may not know where to direct their concerns.
The survey was also intended to assess actions associated with the BMP, including receiving
information, inspections, and maintenance. When residents were asked if they had received
information about the BMP, the majority (71%) of the total population indicated they have not
received any information about their BMPs, which is equal to 83% of the…