Northampton’s Stormwater Manager, Douglas McDonald, was awarded for his implementation of a new stormwater and flood control utility in the city - from the Northampton Public Works blog.

At the Annual New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) Winter Conference in Boston on January 26, 2015, Douglas McDonald, the City of Northampton’s Stormwater Manager, was awarded the Golden Raindrop Award for his efforts related to stormwater management.  The Golden Raindrop Award is given to a person that has made notable contributions in the stormwater field.  Each year a NEWEA member receives this important award.

Doug has worked tirelessly to implement a new stormwater and flood control utility in Northampton.  He provided technical support to evaluate a multitude of proposed fee structures being considered by the City.   He provided valuable information to help residents and businesses understand the proposed stormwater ordinance. After the stormwater and flood control utility ordinance was approved unanimously by the City Council, he worked on implementation of the new utility, including the determination of fees for over 11,000 properties.  He managed to do all this new utility related work while still managing the City's compliance with its existing MS4 permit obligations.

Doug has truly made a major contribution to important City stormwater systems and funding needs.  As a result, the City stands as a role model for other New England communities considering a stormwater utility to meet funding challenges for stormwater infrastructure.

Several nominees were voted on by the members of the NEWEA Stormwater Committee. Mr. McDonald, this year’s inductee, was notified of his award by the Stormwater Committee Chair Virginia Roach and NEWEA President Matt Formica.  Inductees into the Golden Raindrop Society receive their NEWEA Golden Raindrop Society recognition pins and certificates during the NEWEA Annual Winter Conference.

Below is a video of Mayor Narkewicz with Jim Laurila and Douglas McDonald as they take a look at the role of the stormwater and flood control utility and discuss how billing is determined.

Video courtesy of the NCTV YouTube channel.