Municipal Drainage Utility System Fee

The Municipal Drainage Utility System (MDUS), a system backed by state statute to maintain municipal drainage infrastructure, was created by the Waco City Council in November of 2020 to manage the City’s drainage infrastructure, address water quality and environmental issues, and manage floodplains.

The City of Waco’s drainage system is a valuable asset, worth more than $750 million. It is also aging, portions of which are more than 100 years old. The system requires on-going maintenance, repair and replacement. Not to mention upgrades in areas of the City where localized flooding is a problem. In the past, these needs competed for funding with other functions of the City funded by the General Fund (parks, police, roads, library, etc.). Repairs were often delayed until they became emergencies, and emergency repairs are often more costly than planned repairs. The Drainage Utility and associated Drainage Fee creates a dedicated fund to properly maintain this valuable asset with customers contributing based on the amount of runoff they generate. This will help City staff better plan and fund the more than $100,000,000 in needs that have already been identified.

In addition, The Clean Water Act requires cities to develop and implement a plan to reduce stormwater pollution. To comply with this requirement, the City has a permit for the Municipal Separate Stormwater System (MS4)(PDF, 2MB)  from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In 2021 the Watershed Protection Division of the Public Works Department, funded by the MDUS, was created and charged with monitoring activities associated with the MS4 permit and ensuring MS4 compliance, reviewing and permitting development and construction in the floodplain, and evaluating new development for stormwater engineering and drainage requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Appeals Process

The following procedures will be used to appeal the Municipal Drainage Utility System (MDUS) fee. Separate appeal forms are required for each parcel.

  1. Complete the Notice to Appeal MDUS Fee form.

  2. The Notice to Appeal must include the name of the appellant, address of the parcel in question, contact information for the appellant, the reason for the appeal (exempt from fee, incorrect owner or incorrect impervious cover) and any supporting documentation.
    1. If the reason for the appeal is incorrect impervious cover, the appellant inherently grant City of Waco staff or their designees the right to enter the appellants property to review the impervious cover and, but not limited to, survey the property and take photographs to verify appellant claims.

  3. The appeal and supporting evidence will be reviewed by City staff and it will be presented, along with any contradicting evidence, to the Manager of MDUS. The decision may be to accept the appeal in whole, accept in part, or reject the appeal.

  4. If the appellant is dissatisfied with the decision of the Manager, the appellant has fifteen days (15) to notify the Manager and the appeal will be forwarded to the Director of Public Works.

  5. The decision of the Director will be final.

Drainage Fee Appeal Form

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