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Inspiration Card
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F24 Reverse auction
It might be cost-effective for (smaller) communities to encourage homeowners to control stormwater runoff at the parcel level instead of, or in conjunction with more traditional large, infrastructural practices. An auction could be a cost-effective tool for implementing controls on stormwater runoff quantity at the parcel level. In such case, there are multiple “sellers” of the service (i.e. stormwater mitigation) and one “buyer”, which is usually the utility company. Upfront financing could come from private investors through debt and/or equity.
The Rain Catchers project was implemented by the City of Durham to install and evaluate low-impact development retrofits to residential properties. The objective of the project was to reduce pollutants and storm surge by building small-scale projects on private property. Site selection was conducted through an innovative reverse auction process to reduce project costs. Out of 880 residents contacted for participation in the project, 156 sites were slated and ranked for rain gardens, cisterns and tree suitability. Project participants were surveyed later in an effort to track the expectations of the participants, understanding of the project, and whether they were maintaining the installations. After 18 months of monitoring, directing rooftop runoff to rain gardens and cisterns has reduced runoff volumes by 47-97 percent and was therefore very successful.