CARY, NC – Once again the Town of Cary is a state leader in protecting the environment, this time by expanding State-mandated requirements for stormwater regulation to cover not only land that drains into the Neuse River basin but also land which drains into the Cape Fear River basin. These new, town-wide stormwater management laws protecting water quality go into effect on March 1^st, strictly regulating the quality and quantity of runoff from developed land that can escape into Cary waters. The goal of Cary’s program is a 30 percent reduction in nitrogen from all sources including urban stormwater runoff based on 1995 pollutant levels.

"Having these rules go into effect town-wide is one more piece of our comprehensive plan to promote a high quality of life by protecting water quality, being good environmental stewards," said Town of Cary Stormwater Engineer Terry Warren. The Cary Town Council adopted the rules in August 2000 in response to the State’s requirements for protecting water quality in the Neuse River Basin.

To have their plans move forward, developers who build in Cary will have to meet the more stringent environmental regulations. All plans submitted after March 1^st must comply with new rules for controlling the quality and quantity of runoff leaving the development site. New developments must meet a target nitrogen level of 3.6 lbs./acre/year. This goal was set by the NC Division of Water Quality in order to reduce alga blooms and fish kills in the Neuse River. To achieve this target most developments will have to implement water quality controls known as best management practices (BMP's) to reduce nitrogen leaving the site. There is also a provision in the rules for "offset payments". In some cases, developers can pay into the State’s Wetland Restoration Fund instead of installing BMP's on-site. These funds will then be used by the state to fund water quality projects in the Neuse River Basin.

In addition to controlling nitrogen in runoff, developers must control the quantity of runoff leaving the site. The developers must design the site so that the peak runoff from the site after development equals the pre-development runoff level. This requirement is intended to reduce localized flooding and prevent stream bank erosion. The BMP’s installed for nitrogen control may double as runoff controls.

Stormwater staff will work with the development community to ensure that stormwater controls are properly designed and installed. The new rules will be enforced along the same lines as the erosion control ordinances; staff will review plans, inspect sites and BMP's and issue notices of violation if necessary. To help prepare for the Town’s new rules, stormwater staff gave a technical workshop for over 100 consulting engineers and design architects on February 15^th.

The new development rules are one of four parts to the Town’s Stormwater Management Plan. The other parts include a program for public awareness and stormwater education, a plan for eliminating illegal discharges to the storm drainage system, and a program for identifying sites in Cary for implementing water quality improvement projects. New ordinances regulating illegal discharges become effective March 1^st. These ordinances define legal and illegal discharges to storm drains, streams and lakes. Essentially, only natural sources of water such as rainfall and groundwater flow should enter the drainage network.

Stormwater is excess runoff generated when rain falls on roofs, roads, sidewalks, and other impervious surfaces or falls too fast to be absorbed by the land. Most cities and towns build and maintain a separate storm drainage system that carries this excess water away from property and—without any treatment--returns it directly to nearby lakes and streams. While stormwater begins as typically harmless rain, it picks up pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, oil, grease, and litter in its path before entering the storm drainage system. Since the stormwater is not treated or cleaned before discharge, any pollutants present are carried directly to the lakes and streams that supply drinking water. Storm drainage systems are recognizable by the grates found in yards, parking lots or along the curb and gutter that lines roadways.

The Neuse River’s long standing water quality problems came to a head in the summer of 1995 when extensive alga blooms and fish kills occurred. This prompted the State on February 8, 1996 to adopt legislation aimed at reducing nitrogen from all sources within the river basin. The goal of the comprehensive Neuse River Nutrient Sensitive Water strategy is to achieve a 30 percent nitrogen reduction from each controllable and quantifiable source of nitrogen in the basin. These sources include wastewater treatment discharges, urban stormwater, and agricultural and nutrient applications. The NSW Strategy also includes a rule to protect stream buffers in order to maintain their existing nitrogen removal capabilities.

The Town recently created a Stormwater Division within the Engineering Department to implement the new rules. Over the next several month’s Town staff will be working on programs to address Phase II Federal Stormwater Rules which become effective in March 2003. These rules will be more comprehensive than the Neuse River Rules and will require control of all types of pollutants in stormwater runoff, not just the currently required nitrogen control.