New London — A special stormwater task force has developed a plan to generate funding and help the city comply with federal regulations designed to protect bodies of water from pollutants discharged with the stormwater from city drains.

The plan, expected to be unveiled to a City Council subcommittee on Monday, comes with a $1.3 million annual price tag. It would involve passage by the City Council of a new stormwater ordinance, as well as the creation of a stormwater authority and a dedicated stormwater enterprise fund.

Joseph Lanzafame, the city’s director of public utilities, said a lack of funding has the city falling behind other municipalities when it comes to meeting requirements of its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, permit issued by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which is mandated under the federal Clean Water Act.

The permit essentially allows the city to discharge its stormwater into the Thames River and Long Island Sound.

The permit, one of 110 issued statewide, not only requires the city to take steps to ensure discharged water is clean, but also mandates things like upkeep, mapping and monitoring of the system.

Separate from its sewer system, the city has about $50 million worth of stormwater infrastructure that includes 63 miles of roads with drainage pipes, 1,100 catch basins and 60 discharge points.

Lanzafame said the understaffed Public Works Department has handled work on the system when it is needed but there is no dedicated funding stream to keep up with all the needs, especially expensive capital projects.

Meanwhile, Lanzafame said the permitting requirements have evolved and include a host of new mandates. The new MS4 permit, effective July 1, 2017, requires enhanced maintenance and mapping requirements, public education and closer attention to illicit discharge of pollutants such as phosphorus, nitrogen, bacteria and mercury into the water.

The problem here is that the city does not have available funds to address the issues and noncompliance can lead to fines and or lawsuits. The state DEEP this year rated the city’s last MS4 annual report as “needs improvement.”

In trying to figure out what fee structure makes the most sense, Lanzafame said the task force tried to lessen the blow to taxpayers.

The task force has developed a fee system based on the amount of impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and roofs, that shed rainwater into the city’s stormwater drainage system. The amount of money paid will be directly related to how much stormwater runoff is being generated from a property and will go directly into a stormwater enterprise fund.

The proposed fees structure is $7.50 per 1,000 square feet of impervious surface. For example, commercial properties with a total of 16,808,522 square feet of impervious surfaces in the city would pay a combined total of $506,416, or 39 percent, of the $1.3 million total.

Tax-exempt properties, including Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Connecticut College, would pay a total of $212,359, or more than 16 percent of the total. Residential properties combined would pay a total of $443,800, with costs ranging from $30 per year for those properties with less than 1,000 square feet of impervious surface to $150 per year for those with more than 3,000 square feet of impervious surface.

If approved by the City Council, officials hope to implement the new fees by next year.

Lanzafame said having a better managed system also will lead to fewer beach closings and a decrease in flooding on city streets due to storms.

Monday's meeting is at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

g.smith@theday.com