The City of Savannah just received a boost to its long-term stormwater planning.
This installment of On Our Radar brings announcement of state and federal funding for the city to develop its stormwater master plan. Also, follow here for details on an upcoming “Savannah At Night” community event.
If you have neighborhood updates, organization events, or news tips you think could be of service to Savannahians, send them to elasseter@usatodayco.com. Also reach out if there are stories here you would like to know more about. Deadline for the On Our Radar series will be the end of day each Friday.
Stormwater Master Plan receives funding boost
The City of Savannah received this week $2.2 million in federal and state grants
to support expansion of a Stormwater Master Plan.
The grant awards included $1.9 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agencies Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and $259,155 from the State of Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency.
The city is providing a local $388,733 match to reach the project’s total cost of $2.5 million.
The funding will support flood modeling to specifically evaluate the impacts of sea-level rise and tidal influence. It will also model for drainage deficiencies, system bottlenecks and other flood-prone areas, the press release said.
The press release also said the plan’s findings will help project prioritization and inform future capital improvement plans.
The city’s efforts to expand the plan coincide with recent efforts to boost its stormwater program, namely launch of its stormwater utility fee on Sept. 1. The fee will support a dedicated stormwater fund to pay for system maintenance and neighborhood-scale drainage projects.
Drainage was a top priority listed by residents during surveys for its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax list developed last year.
Date set for latest “Savannah at Night” event
Savannah residents looking for city updates and access to department leaders now have their latest opportunity.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and City Manager Jay Melder will host Savannah at Night on Sept. 15. The event will feature updates on various city initiatives and processes.
Expected presentations include details on the code compliance process, illegal dumping and the city’s 2027 budget survey. Other departments such as water resources, community services, planning and economic development, and both Savannah Police and Savannah Fire will also have exhibits at the event.
It will kick off at 6 p.m. and presentations will run to 7:15 p.m. Afterwards department exhibits will be open for another 30 minutes. This month’s Savannah at Night will be at Savannah High School at 400 Pennsylvania Ave.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah lands millions to grow Stormwater Master Plan
