Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Where Does the Water Go?

Town Council Hears Stormwater Assessment

Story by Kathleen McFadden

When it rains and water rushes into the storm drains all over Boone, where do you think that water goes? If you think it goes to the wastewater treatment plant to have all the crud removed, you’re wrong.

The water rushing into the town’s storm drains goes straight into the creeks and from there, straight into the river, without filtering or cleaning of any kind. Along with the storm water go all manner of pollutants, including heavy metals, bacteria, trash and debris.

“Anywhere you see a creek, that’s your stormwater system,” Tony Dudley told the members of Boone Town Council. Dudley, a certified floodplain manager, works for Watershed Concepts in Charlotte, the firm the town hired to conduct a municipal stormwater management assessment. Dudley presented his report last Monday night.

Aside from the obvious problems with pollutants flowing into the river, the source of the town’s drinking water, Boone may soon face a regulatory requirement to more actively manage its stormwater—the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program permitting requirements.

The federal government established the NPDES program to control point-source discharges of water pollution, and the Town of Boone currently holds an NPDES permit for its wastewater treatment plant, allowing the plant to discharge into the New River.

However, Phase II of the NPDES Stormwater program, signed into law in December 1999, requires certain communities and public entities to obtain an NPDES permit for stormwater discharges. That’s the water rushing into the storm drains.

The state is phasing in communities that must comply with NPDES stormwater permitting, and Boone may be on the short list. According to Town Manager Greg Young, the state has recently completed its report on the New River Basin and he anticipates receiving a letter—perhaps within the next year—designating Boone as an NPDES community.

As with all water-related permits, the application and compliance requirements are both extensive and expensive.

The stormwater management assessment Dudley presented Monday night is the town’s attempt to get a jump-start on the process.

In his report, Dudley presented three general recommendations: setting up a stormwater management administration, developing a stormwater management design manual and developing a stormwater management plan.

The administration end would be responsible for overseeing the program and collecting the fees. A stormwater administration authority, according to Young, would be set up like a utility, and stormwater fees would fund the department.

The stormwater management design manual, Dudley explained, would be “a playbook for local builders and developers for how to manage stormwater, and along with the written word would include illustrations of what the town is looking for in design.” Dudley added, “The town and ASU do not have design manuals [for stormwater], so adding one would be a good thing.” The Town of Boone Unified Development Ordinance contains development regulations pertaining to stormwater retention, but does not include best management practices, thorough erosion and sediment control measures or hydraulics, hydrology and stormwater design information.

The stormwater management plan would take a comprehensive watershed approach to reduce pollutant discharge and satisfy water quality requirements, while giving the town the ability to offer development credits in return for specific improvements.

The town council faces a number of decisions in implementing such a program, and at the council’s May 17 meeting, the members plan to schedule a work session to begin discussing the issues and options for developing and implementing a comprehensive system of stormwater management.