Once again, I welcome the opportunity to respond to articles that have appeared in this forum. First, it appears that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Many people are rushing to judgement regarding the storm water utility, when they should step back and look at the facts of the requirements that are driving the formation of the utility. It is time to stop pretending that the law will go away. Storm water management will change forever for Phase II communities. It will be a total paradigm shift, not just a slight change or appendix onto our old storm water program [or non-program]. In the past the drivers for change were grassroots and physical---failed systems, clogged pipes and flooded neighborhoods. Today the drivers are often regulatory. Total maximum daily loads, effluent limits and more will come along to nearly every community. They can not and should not be avoided. Every department in a municipal government will be affected in some way, not just Public Works. Health departments will look at septic tanks differently. Floodplain management will shift from flood protection and development permiting strategy to stream protection, riparian corridors, buffers and re-establishment of wetlands. Site designs will move from rapid evacuation of storm water to environmentally effective systems retaining and infiltrating as much rainfall as possible. Schools will be asked to focus on water conservation and habitat protection as issues essential to public education responsibility. Citizens will be involved with everything. Real things must be accomplished. However, storm water runoff is not a very "sexy" topic. If we could not drink from our faucets because our storm water systems didn't operate effectively, you can bet there would be a hue and cry for something to happen, and cost would be no object. If there were a storm water traffic jam every afternoon, you know there would be some action. We already know that sediment from construction sites and eroding streams, nutrients from lawn fertilizers, pet excrement, manmade litter, oil and grease from parking lots, pesticides and trace metals are finding their way more and more into our receiving streams and reducing the general water quality. So what are we doing about this? The six control measures of the NPDES Phase II mandate are a good start. The City has been tasked to come up with Best Management Pracices to address each of these measures. The accomplishment of the goals of the mandate involve a permit which outlines the practices and a timetable for implementation. Yes, everything has to be in place and fully operating by 2008, but we cannot wait until 2007 to start. Each of the control measures must show a timeline that starts in 2003 and shows improvement for each of the years of the permit. As an example, the City must establish a program for the regular maintenance of its storm water collection system. This includes cleaning of the pipes and storm water inlets in the collection system. This cannot be done by "borrowing" equipment from the sanitary sewer section. First, the sanitary sewers are maintained yearround and the equipment for that effort is in constant use. Funds that paid for that equipment are earmarked for specifically for that effort. The storm water system maintenance program needs its own equipment and it needs it now. Education of the community is another issue that cannot wait until the end of the permit period to start. The City must show a steady increase in the level of knowledge of its citizens regarding storm water and its effects. This must be extrapolated over the life of the permit. This brings us now to funding. There is no free lunch. Every BMP takes effort and efforts cost someone time and materials. The question becomes how to best create this source of funding. Storm water utilities have been proven to be a rational method for this funding mechanism. The City has listened to the comments from the business community regarding its perception of "what's fair" and staff is looking at ways to restructure the rate schedule. Prolonging the agony is not an option.