Sustainable funding strategies for stormwater infrastructure management: A system dynamics model

Abstract

Most cities in Canada do not charge a stormwater fee; consequently, stormwater programs may need to compete with other funding priorities in public works. This often leads to a lack of dedicated and predictable cash flow, which can limit municipalities' capacity to sustain stormwater services. In such situations, it is useful to identify available revenue sources and expected expenditures, so that sustainable funding strategies can be determined. In this paper, we explore a novel system dynamics model to investigate sustainable funding strategies. The model consists of a qualitative assessment that uses causal loop diagrams to provide a conceptual system representation and a mathematical formulation for a quantitative assessment. The model is used to explore the potential of introducing stormwater fees in the city of Vernon, Canada. It is shown that the model is helpful in strategic asset management decision making, and can be used to build arguments for implementing proactive asset management programs.