SEMSWA is a referral agency that provides stormwater management services to the City of Centennial (City) and Arapahoe County (County). As a part of these services SEMSWA reviews plans, reports and associated documents for land development and Capital Improvement projects for compliance with the City’s or County’s established stormwater management criteria. SEMSWA also issues permits for: 1) construction disturbances in the City and the County; 2) the installation of stormwater infrastructure in the City; and 3) disturbances in or near flood prone areas in the City and the County. While SEMSWA serves both City and County residents; neither the City nor the County provides funding to SEMSWA, which exists as a stand-alone stormwater management agency with independent funding and accounting. SEMSWA’s formation agreements grant it the authority to assess and collect reasonable fees to cover or offset the cost of its review and permit services.
On March 24, 2010, after considerable study and deliberation, the SEMSWA Board of Directors adopted a Review and Permit Fee Schedule, which became effective April 1, 2010. The effective schedule will provide SEMSWA with the opportunity to recover the costs associated with providing review and permit services to developers in its service area.