HomeMy WebLinkAboutNCS000427_Cary 2021 Annual Report Attachment_20211029
T OWN O f C ARY
WATER QUALITY RECOVERY PROGRAM
UPDATE 2021
NPDES S TORMWATER P ROGRAM , P HASE II
P ERMIT NUMBER: NCS000427
- 0 -
Table of Contents
Purpose and Requirements…..……...………………………………………………… 1
Program Implementation........................................................................................ 1
Public Education and Outreach Costs…………………………………………………2
Town of Cary Web Pages…………………………………………………………….... 2
Community Engagement……… ………………………………………………………. 2
Storm Drain Labeling...…………………………………………………………………. 4
GIS Data ……………………………………………………………………………….…4
MS4 Outfall Database..….………………………………………………………………5
Ordinances/Policies/Procedures………………………………………………………. 5
Town Resources and Staff Development.……………………………………………. 5
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….. 6
- 1 -
Purpose and Requirements
The purpose of this document is to update the progress on the Water Quality Recovery
Program (WQRP) in the headwaters of Swift Creek Watershed in the Neuse River Basin.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) to address impaired biological integrity was
established for this watershed by the NC Division of Water Quality (NC DWQ). The
primary updates for Year Five were the continued implementation of public education and
outreach, review of ordinances/policies/procedures, field reconnaissance of the MS4
outfalls in the Swift Creek watershed and completing the reporting requirements for the
WQRP.
Requirements
• Implementation of BMPs
• Public Education and Outreach
• Swift Creek Watershed Webpage
• Community Engagement at Town Sponsored Events
• Storm drain Labeling
• Educational Programming at Steven’s Nature Center
• Spruce Outreach
• Creek Week in association with CWEP
• Distribute Educational Materials for Block Leader Program
• Mailings-IDDE & Homeowner
• Additional as determined by TMDL Implementation Team
• Review and Enhancement of Ordinances, Policies and Procedures (as
needed)
• Staff Development Programs (as needed)
• MS4 Outfall Database Records (continued as necessary)
Program Implementation
Implementation Team:
The current implementation team consists of the Stormwater Engineering Manager,
Stormwater Program Analyst, and the Water Resources Outreach Supervisor. The
seventh year began the work to implement the outreach programs of the Water
Resources and other Town departments to enhance public awareness, participation, and
stormwater education in the Swift Creek Watershed.
Public Education and Outreach Costs
The public education and outreach in the watershed has been ongoing since the Town
implemented the Neuse River Basin Plan in 2001. The Plan included public education
and outreach as well as public participation, illicit and illegal discharge enforcement, and
stormwater control measures to reduce nitrogen in the Neuse Basin. The Town further
enhanced its stormwater education and outreach in 2005 when it was issued a NPDES
Phase 2 Stormwater Permit. The implementation team will bring on additional members
as needed to enhance these programs within the watershed.
- 2 -
The Stormwater Division has brought the educational outreach and good housekeeping
programs under the umbrella of stormwater. It has enhanced the program by coordinating
water quality and quantity key messages, tactics, and communications throughout Town
programs and services. The Public Education and Outreach Program is provided through
the framework of the Town of Cary NPDES Phase 2 Stormwater Permit and is included
in the annual report. This update includes the following outreach tactics and budget
maintained by the Water Resources Department associated with them:
• Town of Cary Web Page NA
• Social and Mobile Media (Cary it Green Facebook page) NA
• Brochures at Town facilities (Using current stock of brochures) 0.00
• BUD articles (monthly utility insert and online) NA
• Cary TV 11 (Cary It Green segment) NA
• Clean Water Educational Partnership (CWEP) 9,800.00
(Mass media – Print, TV, Radio, Internet, Theaters, Booth Display)
• Mass Mailings (Business Outreach to Car Retail Sales) 1000.00
• Festivals (Promotional Items) 4,000.00
• Spruce (Storm drain Labeling, Beautification and Litter collections) 3,500.00
Total $18,300.00
Town of Cary Web Page
The Town’s web page has been redesigned in 2018 and we update the stormwater
section to provide a better citizen friendly environment. The NPDES Phase 2 Stormwater
Permit and Environmental Protection web pages have been updated to include
information on the Swift Creek TMDL. The web pages provide information on water quality
protection measures in the watershed. It also contains links to the Town’s other
stormwater web pages which have more information on how citizens can report illicit or
illegal discharges, volunteer to label storm drains or participate in litter sweeps, and learn
other ways to protect stormwater. The Town also maintains an online reporting form for
illicit and illegal discharges. The Town has transitioned to a 311 call center in 2020. This
provides a one stop call in to report any type of citizen question and concern. This will be
tracked using salesforce to take the call and see it through to its completion. This will also
allow us to keep records and collect data for ways to enhance the response to citizens.
Community Engagement
Town’s Sustainability Program is being reworked to include an overall environmental
approach through tree canopy, carbon footprint, smog eating/cool pavement,
conservation and stormwater quality and quantity. They are working to develop programs
to help have an ongoing sustainable presence in the community. The Town also uses
social media through the Cary It Green Facebook page by posting information about
upcoming events, tips, and questions to open a dialogue with our friends about
stormwater and water quality issues, practices, and concerns.
- 3 -
Brochures regarding water quality and conservation are available at most Town Park
facilities (which have been closed to public until July 2021). As an additional resource for
Town citizens, articles are written for Bud, the monthly newsletter (approximately 60,000
in Utility Bills and 1,000 printed for Town facilities and three libraries). We also use the
Town of Cary TV 11 local access channel’s BUD TV to highlight water quality issues and
volunteer opportunities through the “Cary It Green” segments. The Town also has placed
video messages in previews at “The Cary” a town operated movie theater and previews
at the movies by moonlight at the Koka Booth Amphitheater.
The Town partners with local governments in Clean Water Education Partnership
(CWEP) which supports the Town’s mass media efforts. CWEP provides additional online
presence through its Web site and social media through web advertisements, television
advertisements, movie theater advertisements, and radio campaigns. The Town currently
uses television advertisement spots created and used by CWEP to run on Cary TV 11
and 30 second spots are running at The Cary, a theater run by the Town, and at the Koka
Booth Amphitheater before movie showings.
Mass mailings enable the Town to deliver specific messages to specific business types.
On a rotating basis, the Town annually send letters to lawn care, restaurant, carpet
cleaning, and automotive repair shops in our community. Those letters outline practices
that their particular business can do to protect water quality. This past year the Town sent
letters to businesses that are part of the car sales and concerned best management
practices regarding washing of vehicles. It included a brochure that could be used to help
educate the workers and owners regarding what is allowable and what is not in the town
regarding the IDDE ordinance.
Stormwater staff also attended Town hosted festivals (none for 2020 but attended Lazy
Days (August 2021) and Diwali (October 2021)) throughout the year to provide
informational handouts and give away promotional items directly to citizens. The
Stormwater Division distribute approximately 500 items per festival, include visual
displays to inform the public about illegal discharges and where to report them to, provide
a sign up for storm drain labeling, and answer questions they have about practices to
protect water quality. We partner with our pretreatment group regarding sanitary sewer to
help with SSO’s.
The Town encourage citizens to volunteer through a variety of environmental outreach
programs managed by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department,
notably the Adopt a Spot, Block Leader and Spruce programs. Through the Adopt a Spot
Program groups commit to clean, protect and beautify areas throughout the year for a
minimum of two years. The Block Leader Program supports citizens that have a particular
interest in the environment by providing them with training, tours, and information packets
to deliver to their immediate neighbors. The Block Leader program has changed to
provide outreach to neighborhoods when they are requested from the town. The Spruce
Program offers a variety of volunteer opportunities including annual litter sweeps. The
Town provides tools and trash pickup to individual citizens and civic groups that create
- 4 -
their own workdays or litter sweeps. The Town also has started a tree program and has
days those volunteers come out and put in plants and trees. We had started a new My
Tree Our Tree program and gave out 600 trees to citizens in March of 2021 and again in
October.
The Town has an Environmental Advisory Board which provides feedback and advice to
council on policies, ordinances and administrative procedures regarding environmental
protection and conservation of energy and natural resources. They are currently working
on an urban forestry program for the town as well as carbon reduction.
Swift Creek Week did not take place this past year due to other municipalities dropping
out. We had a online Creek Week working with and through CWEP. We posted videos
and tips online and had litter sweeps available. The Town sponsored a drug drop-off to
encourage citizens to not throw away prescriptions in the trash but to have them disposed
of properly. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve has added presentations throughout the year
for our Cary It Green Facebook page.
Storm Drain Labeling
The Town now uses glue-on decals to promote stormwater pollution awareness and
reporting instead of storm drain stenciling. The decals make it easier for citizens to help
and provides more information than a paint-on stencil. Concentrating our efforts on
labeling storm drains within the Swift Creek Watershed, citizens have placed over 114
decals on storm drains in the Swift Creek Watershed since October 2020. Approximately
8.1 square miles in the watershed has been labeled.
GIS Data
The Town of Cary has put together a map of the Swift Creek Watershed using the
resources from the Technology Services Department. The maps include the following:
• Streets
• Utilities – Water and Sewer (includes lines and structures)
• Storm drain – lines and structures
• Creeks and Streams – USGS and Soil Survey indicated
• Topography
• Stormwater Control Measures (SCM’s)
• Land Use – zoning
• Riparian and Urban Transition Buffers
• USGS Mapping
• Wake County Soil Survey
• Property
• Plats
• Floodplains
The Town will be using this base map to obtain information from other departments within
the Town of Cary and help with the use of resources in the effort to improve water quality.
- 5 -
We are updating our schema to obtain better information and processes to help gather
information on maintenance provided by the Public Works Department (street sweeping,
sanitary sewer line smoke testing, sanitary line cleaning and maintenance) Block Leader
Programs and Spruce which are public outreach and participation for the Town of Cary.
Swift Creek GIS Database Information:____
Storm drain lines 215 miles
Stormwater Outfalls 1699
Sanitary Sewer lines 266 miles
Stormwater Control Measures 308
MS4 Outfall Database
The Town of Cary uses ESRI ARC GIS databases for managing the Swift Creek
watershed. These databases are updated as new information is added for sanitary sewer,
storm drains, stormwater control measures and other infrastructure from new
development. The Town is currently working to review and assess the structures and
update the databases. The outfalls within the Swift Creek area have been inspected over
the past as part of the dry weather screening process. The town is currently adding to the
stormwater database through online record drawing review which allows us to review the
data and have it provided so we can integrate it into our GIS. The record drawings include
infrastructure along with SCM information. As stated, prior we are working on our schema
to provide a comprehensive and standardized system to create and update our system
to allow us to perform a better asset managment and condition assessment program.
Ordinances/Policies/Procedures
The standard details and specifications for stormwater and erosion control was updated
in 2020. Included in new details were updated. New detail was added for surface
roughening. The newly approved specification requires cleaning and video inspection of
stormwater pipes prior to acceptance to ensure proper installation. The town is applying
the State Minimum Design Criteria for stormwater control measures our jurisdiction. The
Stormwater Section has started a move to Adaptive Stormwater Management process.
The process started with a steering committee made of staff from multiple town
departments looking at areas of maintenance, finance, ordinances, open space and basin
flood models. We are now modeling the Swift Creek Basin to tie into the existing FEMA
with some overlap. As part of the work the town is having all new development as well
with redevelopment to assess and mitigate up to the 100-year storm event. We currently
require mitigation for the 1,2,5,10 storm events. They now have to model the 100-year
event to ensure that the development does not impact the flooding below.
Town Resources and Staff Development
Infrastructure Asset Management Engineer is developing a buried infrastructure asset
management and condition assessment program. This past year the Town finished up
- 6 -
work on a project to review existing stormwater data sources, import and reconcile this
information into an improved GIS stormwater dataset and schema, identify and correct
inconsistencies in the geometric network, and update owner/install information to
ensure the best available stormwater data is available in GIS. We have noted
information that we need to assess to make the GIS more effective and have sent out a
new RFP on our GIS data and assessment for our stormwater dataset.
The program will allow the Town of Cary to assess and spend resources to establish a
more sustainable program.
The Town is working with developers on private-public partnerships. We are in the design
phase of a project where the town is reducing the quantity on site and downstream the
town is going to construct a wetland to handle the water quality on the site where
previously that was existing impervious that was untreated. This is at the top of the Swift
Creek watershed. This is the first project using the model that is in final states
The Town will continue education regarding how to locate and report illicit and/or illegal
discharges observed by staff.
Conclusion
The review of the programs helps assist the implementation team in enhancing the
basis of the education and outreach which builds upon current programs contained
within the NPDES Phase 2 Stormwater permit.
The team is continuing to work with materials that would allow more participation in
town programs and outreach using mobile platforms (CWEP and Cary It Green
Facebook page). The town has developed not only a SWMM model for our Walnut
Creek Basin but has been working on a modeling which will be used to include all the
watersheds within the Town of Cary which will include Swift Creek that tie into FEMA
floodplain.
The Town has focused the labeling within the Swift Creek Watershed and have labeled
the drainage area in the Lochmere Planned Unit Development.
The Town submitted the Neuse River Basin application for the update required through
legislation. The town has been a part of the Neuse River Basin plan since 2001 and
prior to that included the Swift Creek Land Management plan in 1988 which required
detention and impervious limits in the Swift Creek watershed.