FAQ

With the reform of the Water Management Act and the Land Use and Building Act in 2014, overall responsibility for stormwater management in local plan areas was transferred to municipalities. It was considered appropriate to include stormwater management regulations in the Land Use and Building Act, because stormwater must be taken into account in both land use planning and construction. The aim of overall stormwater management is to develop the systematic management of stormwater, prevent the harm caused by stormwater to the environment and property, and promote the abandonment of discharging stormwater into wastewater sewers.

According to the Regional Use Act (formerly the Land Use and Building Act), municipalities have the right to collect a public law stormwater charge from properties located in the area of ​​influence of the municipal stormwater system. The municipality confirms a tariff containing the bases for the stormwater charge, which also defines the properties falling within the area of ​​influence of the municipal stormwater system, i.e. the properties from which the stormwater charge is intended to be collected.

Previously, stormwater drainage in the Hamina Town area was handled by Haminan Vesi. The division of responsibility was based on an agreement between the Town of Hamina and Haminan Vesi. The costs of maintaining the stormwater network have been covered by a separate basic stormwater fee since 2016. Before that, the stormwater fee was included in the wastewater fee. In accordance with the Water Management Act, the stormwater fee has been paid by properties with stormwater drainage no more than 20 meters from the plot boundary. Therefore, the payment burden has only been applied to some of the properties in the planned area, even though the maintenance of the stormwater system utilizes all properties in the planned area. The basic fees collected have not covered the costs of treating stormwater.

The city council decided on 22.9.2020 September 1.1.2021 that the city of Hamina will be responsible for stormwater treatment as of XNUMX January XNUMX. The stormwater network was also transferred from Haminan Vesi to the city's property and management. At that time, the council also decided on a new stormwater tax. Accordingly, Haminan Vesi will no longer charge a basic stormwater fee.

The new stormwater fee will be applied to properties in the local plan area that benefit from the stormwater system maintained by the city (= stormwater system impact area). The collected stormwater fees will be able to cover the costs of stormwater management and the payment burden will be more evenly distributed among property owners. Impact area of ​​the stormwater system of the city of Hamina is shown on the relevant map.

Stormwater is rainwater or meltwater that drains away from the ground, the roof of a building, and other impermeable surfaces. Drainage water from building foundations, also known as drain water, is stormwater.

The stormwater system consists of a stormwater drainage network, open ditches, various water retention structures, depressions and drums. Stormwater is led through the stormwater system to water bodies or the sea. Stormwater is generally not treated, but is discharged into water bodies without treatment.

A stormwater system is needed to manage stormwater in the built environment, because rainwater and snowmelt cannot naturally drain and absorb due to impermeable surfaces. As a coastal town, Hamina is also a flood risk area, which must be taken into account in stormwater management solutions.

The collected stormwater fees finance the design, construction and maintenance of the stormwater system. Every property covered by the stormwater fee benefits from the stormwater system, even if it is not connected to the stormwater sewer network. The stormwater system collects and directs water into the environment in a controlled manner, maintains street structures and prevents damage to buildings. It is a comprehensive system, in the maintenance of which the properties covered by the fee participate.

The stormwater fee is a fee decided by the municipality based on the location of the property in the local zoning plan area, and there is no exemption from it. The fee applies to all properties within the stormwater system's impact area, regardless of whether the stormwater is discharged directly into a watercourse, by absorption into the ground, into a ditch or into a stormwater sewer. A previous exemption decision under the Water Management Act does not exempt from the stormwater fee based on the Area Use Act (formerly the Land Use and Building Act).

The town has no obligation to manage stormwater in sparsely populated areas, i.e. outside the local plan. For this reason, the stormwater fee does not apply to areas outside the local plan. 

The stormwater fee is property-specific and is jointly and severally liable for the payment by the property's occupiers or owners. This means that the owners/occupiers are obliged to pay the stormwater fee for the property in proportion to their ownership rights.

The stormwater bill is sent once a year to one property owner or party. If the property has multiple owners, the bill can be divided according to ownership shares upon separate request.

A stormwater fee is charged for each property in the affected area. For now, fees cannot be bundled, but owners of multiple properties will receive a separate invoice for each property they own.