In my last post, I praised Chattanooga’s Climate Action Plan. Today’s post will examine how the city is encouraging smarter stormwater management by offering commercial developers incentives to harvest rainwater.

Like most cities, stormwater runoff is a problem in Chattanooga. After heavy rains, water collects on impervious pavements, like parking lots and driveways, and floods the storm sewers. Along the way, the water collects motor oil, pesticides, cigarette butts, gum wrappers and anything else that happens to be on the ground, sweeping all pollutants into the nearest lake, river or stream.

The city’s Water Quality Fee covers the costs to manage and reduce these pollutants. So in order to make everyone’s life a little easier, the good folks at the Public Works department have put together a number of incentives to encourage better runoff management and to help you save money on your annual Water Quality Fee.

If you own a commercial property, our rainwater systems can earn you a credit (as much as 75% in the first year and 50% thereafter) for capturing, storing, treating and redistributing the water. By doing so, you are helping to protect Chattanooga’s water supply. And, oh yeah, you are putting money back in your pocket too.

For a complete list of credits, go here. For a free rainwater system quote, go here. Once you provide us with your project specifications, we can make an accurate system recommendation. Heck, we’ll even help you complete those pesky government forms.