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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNCS000427_Cary Yr 5 Swift Creek WQRP Report_2018 T OWN O f C ARY WATER QUALITY RECOVERY PROGRAM UPDATE YEAR FIVE 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………………………………………………… 1 Town of Cary Web Pages…………………………………………………………….... 2 Cary News Advertisements…………………………………………………………….. 2 Community Engagement……… ………………………………………………………. 3 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 Year Four. Year Four 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 • 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) • Field Reconnaissance for Incomplete MS4 Outfall Database Records (continued as necessary) Program Implementation Implementation Team: The current implementation team consists of the Stormwater Engineering Manager, Stormwater Program Analyst, Water Resources Communications Specialist, and the Water Resources Outreach Supervisor. The fourth 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 - In 2013 the Town reorganized and formed the Water Resources Department that includes four divisions, Water Resources Planning, Utilities Design and Construction (UDAC), Stormwater, and Field Services. The Water Resources Planning Division oversees the department’s public education and outreach. 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 • Cary News Advertisements 1,000.00 • Social Media (Cary it Green Facebook page) NA • Mobile Strategies (Cary Green Neighborhoods Project) 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) 9,000.00 (Mass media – Print, TV, Radio, Internet, Theaters, Booth Display) • Mass Mailings (Business Outreach) 500.00 • Block Leader Program (Homeowner Outreach) 13,300.00 • Festivals (Promotional Items) 3,000.00 • Spruce (Storm drain Labeling, Beautification and Litter collections) 3,000.00 Total $29,800.00 Town of Cary Web Page The Town’s web page has been redesigned this past year 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 has also maintains an online reporting form for illicit and illegal discharges. Cary News Advertisements The Town placed stormwater advertisements in the Cary News once this past year. The Cary News was a separate part of the regional News and Observer out of Raleigh. The Cary News stopped circulation within the town. The Town also includes information in BUD, the Town’s monthly utility insert, to provide water resource information and where to find those resources at the Town. - 3 - Community Engagement The Town contributes to the water quality outreach for the Cary Green Neighborhood project, developed and managed by the Town’s Sustainability Program. The Lochmere neighborhood and Regency neighborhood within the Swift Creek were represented. These are two of the larger neighborhoods within the watershed. The project encourages the neighborhoods to live green through actions developed in six categories. The categories include protect water and create healthy yards which help promote and protect water quality. 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. Brochures regarding water quality and conservation are available at most Town park facilities. 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 both 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 46 local governments in Clean W ater 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 perform landscape services. Stormwater staff also attend four Town hosted festivals (Ritmo Latino, Diwali Festival of Lights, Lazy Days and Spring Days) 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. 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 - 4 - 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 their own workdays or litter sweeps. 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. Stormwater staff provided a presentation on green infrastructure in April 2017. The Town took part in Swift Creek Week along with other towns (Raleigh, Garner, Cary, Wake County and Apex) and foundations (River Guardian Foundation, Sound Rivers, Wake County Soil and Water District, Triangle Land Conservancy and Conservation Trust for NC) in the Swift Creek Watershed. The goal is to provide a week each year in March to highlight Swift Creek and ways to keep it clean through education and hands on activities. 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 had a presentation on Frogs and Salamanders for families. 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 173 decals on storm drains in the Swift Creek Watershed since October 2017. Approximately 2.6 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 - 5 - 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. We can obtain information regarding 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 182 miles Stormwater Outfalls 1636 Sanitary Sewer lines 237 miles Stormwater Control Measures 274 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 has an Infrastructure Asset Management Engineer. Ordinances/Policies/Procedures The standard details and specifications for stormwater and erosion cont rol was updated in January 2017. Included in new details were updated for stream crossings, pipe outlet rip rap aprons. New details were done for temporary pump arounds, concrete washout pit, and sediment bags with gravel pad. 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. The working basin is within the Walnut Creek watershed other watersheds should benefit through improved ordinances and maintenance procedures. Town Resources and Staff Development The Town has hired an Infrastructure Asset Management Engineer that will be developing a buried infrastructure asset management and condition assessment program. This past year the Town finished up 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 - 6 - network, and update owner/install information to ensure the best available stormwater data is available in GIS. Town staff recently became NASSCO certified to inspect and rate storm pipes and manholes. This training provides an improved rating framework as part of the Town’s systematic stormwater cleaning and video inspection program that began in early 2018. NASSCO compliant ratings are a necessary input into the Town’s stormwater risk prioritization tool. The prioritization tool is a risk-based algorithm that considers consequence and likelihood of failure to make data -driven decisions for stormwater maintenance and renewal. In addition, the Town began utilizing consultant-led hydraulic modeling to identify performance results for key areas of interest within the stormwater system. These results are used within the stormwater prioritization tool to refine the likelihood of failure calculations and improve the accuracy of the overall risk scores. The program will allow the Town of Cary to assess and spend resources to establish a more sustainable program. 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 help 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). The inclusion of the Swift Creek Week with other groups has provided more outreach and awareness to the community through hands on opportunities. The Town has focused the labeling within the Swift Creek Watershed and have labeled the drainage area above Kildaire Farm Lake. Increased efforts will be done to expand to other areas of the watershed to have them labeled. The Town will also be working through the implementation of the condition assessment program to work on improvements to the storm drain system and with the Adaptive Stormwater Workgroup to enhance town ordinances and procedures .