Photo of Cary Parkway Image of stenciled stormdrain Image of construction hard hat Image of winding road

Citizen Assistance

Citizens with drainage questions or problems can contact Town of Cary Stormwater Engineering staff for information or technical assistance for drainage in and around their property. Town Staff will collect information, provide technical support and conduct a site visit if necessary.
 
Typical request include: 

  • Wet areas in yard
  • Erosion at stormwater outfalls
  • Broken or blocked stormwater pipes
  • Streambank erosion
  • Excessive water runoff affecting private property
  • Debris jam in drainage channel
  • Illegal/unknown discharge
  • Home/driveway/yard flooding
  • FEMA/100 year floodplain

Financial Assistance Programs

The Town has two programs that are available to assist citizens with drainage problems: Policy Statement 35 (Storm Drainage Improvement Requests) and Policy 146 (Storm Water Capital Improvement Requests).

Policy Statement 35 (Storm Drainage Improvement Requests)

This program was funded by Town Council to provide financial assistance to Private citizens for drainage problems within their private property. This is a 50-50 cost share program which can offset some of the costs for implementation of drainage improvements on private property.

This program includes residential flooding concerns, severe erosion issues, improper or broken storm drainage and other private property drainage related issues. For more information regarding this program, see the following link:

Private Drainage Assistance Program (Policy Statement 35)

Policy 146 (Storm Water Capital Improvement Requests)

This program was funded by Town Council to provide relieve drainage problems initiating on public property or within the Town Right-of Way.

This program includes undersized or broken culverts/storm drain pipes, flooding resulting from improperly sized culverts, broken storm drain pipes within the Town right-of-way, and other drainage problems within public property. For more information regarding this program, see the following link:

Public Drainage Assistance (Policy Statement 146)

Priority of Request for Assistance

The following is list of drainage problems that qualify for financial assistance (listed in priority order):

  • Flooding of living space
  • Damage or the imminent possibility of damage to a habitable structure
  • Flooding that threatens the safety of public
  • Flooding of crawl space of habitable structure
  • Flooding of mechanical equipment
  • Severe erosion posing a threat to secondary structures
  • Severe or moderate erosion with water quality implications
  • Pipe or drainage structure failure
  • Blocked pipes or ditches that have not or will not cause problems to primary or secondary structures
  • Standing water resulting from a publicly funded project

The following is a list of drainage problems that qualify for technical assistance but not financial assistance:

  • Yard flooding
  • Drainage problems caused by landscaping
  • Wet or flooded areas due to underground springs, wetlands or groundwater seepage
  • Debris blockages in creeks or drainage ways
  • Erosion in stream channels that does not severely impact water quality
  • Water standing in drainage channels
  • Roof drainage system problems
  • Violation of state statues or municipal codes
  • Sheet flow from adjacent properties
  • Minor erosion
  • Drainage problems on properties still covered by the homebuilder’s warranty

Drainage Easement Information

A drainage easement is a location identified on a survey plat pointing out where runoff water will typically flow during a storm event (overland flow, in a ditch or in a pipe). This easement is still owned by the property owner but does create some limitations on the use of the land within the drainage easement.

The drainage easement allows upstream property owners the right to drain their stormwater runoff across downstream properties through the drainage easement.

Items that not allowed within the drainage easement:

  • Tennis courts/Swimming pools
  • Dams or anything that would that would block the flow of water
  • Walls or other structures made of brick or block
  • Sheds or other buildings
  • Other obstructions which would block water flow or interfere with stormdrain pipe integrity or function

Maintenance of drainage easements are the owner's responsibility. The Town does not maintain these areas unless the issues qualify for one of the Policy Statement’s listed above.

For more information regarding either of these two assistance programs, please contact:
 
Dan Clinton, PE, CFM
Town of Cary Engineering Department
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27513-8005
(919) 380-2773
dan.clinton@townofcary.org