- Home
- Government
- Town Departments
- Water Resources
- Stormwater Engineering
- Stormwater Regulations
Stormwater Regulations
Stormwater is rainwater that runs off impervious surfaces (e.g. rooftops, parking lots, driveways, etc.) as opposed to soaking into the ground. In developed areas, stormwater typically picks up contaminants like detergents from car washing, motor oil, and fertilizers as it flows.
These non-stormwater materials can eventually end up in our creeks and streams. When left uncontrolled this water pollution can destroy aquatic and wildlife habitats and can threaten public health due to the contamination of drinking water supplies and recreational waterways.
How You Can Keep Stormwater Clean
The Town also encourages you to incorporate these stormwater tips into your daily routine to help ensure that the Town remains compliant with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II permit.
For more information on our stormwater program, please call Stormwater staff at (919) 362-8166.
SCI Master Mitigation Plan
Purpose
The Town’s Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Mitigation Plan (SCIMMP) (PDF) describes the existing environmental conditions within its planning area, evaluates the SCI for its proposed infrastructure, and identifies mitigation programs that address the SCI. Inclusion of all infrastructure plans in a single document, the SCIMMP provides a comprehensive review of the Town’s growth projections and infrastructure designed to support that growth.
For future infrastructure projects proposed by the Town that require an environmental review under the North Carolina State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) will be developed to examine the direct impacts of the project. The EA or EIS will reference the SCIMMP for secondary and cumulative indirect impacts. This plan is required to be updated every two years
Swift Creek Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
The TMDL Program is a Federal program authorized under the Clean Water Act to address waters that are not meeting water quality standards. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards.
Approval of Swift Creek
The EPA approved the TMDL for Swift Creek (PDF) in 2009 citing impaired biological integrity. The impacts of enrichment and habitat degradation are associated with scour and toxicity related to high levels of development in the Swift Creek watershed. Swift Creek is located in the Neuse river basin.
Adaptive Management Strategy
The Town has developed an adaptive management strategy for stormwater runoff to reduce the impacts of the high levels of development. The strategy includes:
- Implementation of minimum NPDES Phase II measures.
- Increased street sweeping in the Swift Creek watershed.
- Increased efforts for Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination inspections.
- Ongoing implementation of the Town-wide Riparian buffer program.
- Ongoing implementation of the Town-wide Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program.
- Homeowner education to help slow the flow of runoff and promote healthy streambanks:
- Small-Scale Solutions for Repairing Eroded Streambanks (PDF) (A publication from the NC Cooperative Extension Backyard Stream Repair team)