City of Perry’s WaterFirst designation a marker of responsible water stewardship

PERRY — The state has renewed the city of Perry’s designation for excellence in stormwater management, flowing practical benefits to its residents.

The city’s WaterFirst designation was first attained in 2020. According to the city, the designation is a standard of sustainable water stewardship, demonstrating a strong commitment to protecting water quality, effective stormwater management and planning sustainable growth.

Community Development Director Joe Duffy, Mayor Pro Tem James Moody, and Senior Stormwater Inspector Sarah Nottingham visited Atlanta recently to represent the city at a WaterFirst designation ceremony. The gathering also featured a proclamation from Gov. Brian Kemp honoring the cities for their accomplishments.

Kemp’s staff and the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority’s director met with city representatives. For Duffy, the meeting was special and a testament to the city’s work.

“I’d never been to the state house before, so it was pretty exciting for me. It was a really nice way for the WaterFirst office to honor communities that have done the work across departments,” Duffy said.

According to Duffy, the city became designated through rigorous evaluations and documentation. The Environmental Protection Agency calls the city an MS4 qualifying community.

“We basically meet all of the state environmental department’s requirements for responsible stewardship, in terms of making sure our stormwater is effectively managed,” Duffy said.

As Duffy explained, standard criteria include stormwater runoff filtration and flood mitigation.

In the downtown area, properties are required to have underground stormwater detention basins, which Duffy described as “above and beyond” the average stormwater management approach.

Outside of downtown, the city has built retention ponds with stringent criteria outlining fences, heights and slopes, Duffy said. They’re also designed to be recreational and integrated into the community.

“When we can, we’ll try to encourage things like walking trails and paths around the pond,” Duffy said.  “They’re not just solely functioning as stormwater management mechanisms, but also can be an attribute for the surrounding communities, particularly in residential areas.”

Obtaining and keeping the designation was a joint effort across multiple departments, Duffy mentioned.

“We work very closely with our public works department, who maintain our stormwater facilities, and in our department, we permit them when they are coming through for new sites,” Duffy said.

Approximately 10% of Georgia’s local governments hold this designation, which primarily offers GEFA loan interest rate reductions and a boost in Community Development Block Grant scoring.

Duffy said those were the most important benefits to the city, which reduce taxpayer burdens when it comes to investing in water management infrastructure.

The extra points for the CDBG have led to $7 million in grants, which the city uses to reinvest in affordable housing.

“We use those for rehabilitation and new construction of infill housing. You might not think about stormwater management as something relating to repairing aging housing stock, but in this case, it does allow us to consistently score very highly and continue to procure those federal dollars through the state of Georgia into our older neighborhoods. It’s a great reinvestment opportunity for us.”

For Duffy, the designation’s most important aspect is its reflection of the city’s dedication and how it trickles down for the citizens’ benefit.

“It reflects responsibility and stewardship of our resources,” Duffy said. “We’re really maximizing our work in a way that truly benefits the city and has real, tangible benefits for residents.

Find more information about the WaterFirst Program at gefa.georgia.gov/waterfirst.