'Polluted stormwater runoff is the number one source of water pollution in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It is also the number one threat to North Carolina’s water quality.   Stormwater is rainwater or snowmelt that, instead of sinking into the earth, 'runs off’ via gutters, storm drains and ditches into creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean. Pollutants like excess fertilizer, oil, eroded dirt, pet waste, soap, pesticides and other chemicals are picked up by the runoff and carried untreated to local water bodies. The primary source of these pollutants is people.   In North Carolina, 364,732 acres of shellfish beds have been closed. Polluted stormwater runoff has also caused or contributed to swimming advisories, fishing advisories and beach closings. Financial impacts include job losses, tourism and recreation dollars and increased water treatment costs.   But stormwater runoff quality is one half of the stormwater picture; the quantity of stormwater runoff poses its own problems. Increased development brings more streets, parking lots, roofs and other surfaces that shed water instead of absorbing it. One inch of rain falling on a one-acre parking lot produces 16 times more runoff than the same inch of rain falling on a one-acre meadow. Localized urban flooding, erosion and scouring of streambeds are some impacts from increased stormwater runoff quantity.   North Carolina has 17 river basins, 320 miles of beach, the nation’s second largest estuary - the Albemarle - Pamlico Sound - and more than 4,000 miles of estuary and shoreline that drain to the Atlantic. Shell fishing – once a coastal economic engine – has declined. Of the state’s approximately 2.1 million acres, 18 percent have been closed. Only one percent of the areas closed were not impacted by stormwater runoff pollution. Closed shellfish areas equal 569 square miles, an area larger than Wayne County. (Source: NCDENR, Environmental Health).   Most people are unaware that making a few changes in their daily life would tremendously reduce the amount of pollutants they contribute to stormwater runoff. A nationwide survey found 80 percent are unaware that storm drains carry untreated water directly to local creeks and streams (Source: Roper Report 2000).   Picking up after pets, not over fertilizing lawns, regular septic maintenance, not washing cars on driveways and turning downspouts away from paved areas are just a few changes. Business and industry can take steps to reduce erosion, limit the amount of chemicals left vulnerable to rain and find ways to construct buildings, often referred to as low impact development, to reduce the amount of impervious surfaces created by development. Because stormwater runoff pollution comes from a wide variety of sources, it will take efforts on the part of residents, industry and government to address the problem. To learn more about polluted stormwater runoff, visit the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Web site, http://www.ncstormwater.org/ or call the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District at 919-560-0558 for more information.   -NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources-
Who pays for Stormwater? After years of successfully controlling water pollution from factory pipes, stormwater runoff is now the nation’s No. 1 source of water pollution. About 10 years ago, the federal government required states to tackle the problem but did not provide a budget. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency has cut more than $600 million in the last two years from the money that states count on to finance improvements required by law. While unfunded federal mandates are nothing new, many residents and town officials protest paying to address our stormwater problems. Most arguments revolve around this being a “new” expense. In reality, stormwater is an old problem receiving new attention. Previously, stormwater expenses were bundled with other items, so the individual bottom line was difficult to calculate. But given today’s vociferous protests, many seem collectively unaware that we’ve been paying all along. Here’s where our money goes: Before we drink water from rivers, lake and wells, we have to make it safe and tasty. Taking out stormwater pollutants like sediment, oil, fertilizer, pet poop and pesticides are just the first step. Even “healthy” water can be cloudy, taste “funny” or - in the case of algae blooms – have a bad odor. Part of every water bill reflects some costs paid for stormwater. If your drinking water comes from a lake, the lake may hold less water now than when it was built. Sediment, stormwater’s No. 1 ingredient, erodes from construction sites, agricultural areas and even overburdened streams. A 1987 World Bank study found reservoirs around the world are losing one percent of capacity each year. A 1988 U.S. study estimated that annual depleted storage costs are $2 billion. North Carolina’s Lake Lure receives 40,000 tons of sediment per year, and anecdotal reports of silted-in coves and docks come from across the state. Dredging is not cheap and in times of drought, even small percentages of lost capacity can be crucial. It’s something to think about the next time you see a failing silt fence, isn’t it? Lake dwellers may become intimately familiar with stormwater’s impact on property values. Clear water has value and a study done in Maine showed water clarity accounted for anywhere from three to 15 percent of property values. Though owners will feel the bite if clarity drops, the community tax base will collectively take the biggest hit. Of course, those same communities are home to businesses catering to those on, around or in the water. Polluted stormwater runoff is the primary cause for swim advisories and one of many reasons for fish advisories. When people can’t swim or fish, they stay home with their disposable income or take it to areas with better water quality. Even without a water view, homeowners still pay for stormwater. North Carolina is getting new floodplain maps and some folks woke up in the same old place to find they live in a “new” floodplain. Part of floodplain growth is better mapping and part is due to simple stormwater physics. When rain can’t sink into developed areas like roads, roofs and parking lots, more of it runs off. The result is larger flood plains and a new bill for flood insurance. You did know your homeowners insurance doesn’t cover that, right? We also pay for stormwater whenever we eat shellfish. Shellfish aren’t cheap, in part because supplies have dwindled. One reason for this is that North Carolina temporarily closes many shellfish beds each time it rains due to stormwater runoff. Stormwater is also the reason other shellfish beds remain permanently closed. What about people who make their living harvesting shellfish? And the dollars they brought to our state’s economy? They’re paying for stormwater in reduced profits and lost jobs; we pay in reduced tax revenues. Infrastructure is always a big-ticket item, but North Carolina’s bill has not really come due. That’s too bad, because construction costs are skyrocketing and most of our storm drains and culverts date from the Eisenhower administration. The North Carolina Rural Center’s survey of North Carolina municipalities estimated that stormwater needs alone, between now and 2030, will total $1.47 billion. Moreover, so little is known about our aging stormwater systems that the final costs will probably be higher. Of course, we pay for stormwater we don’t manage, too. When parking lots replace grassy fields, it doesn’t take an engineer to know that yesterday’s 40-inch pipe just isn’t getting the job done. Local urban floods are the result and we see more urban floods than ever before. What did not flood yesterday may flood today. Who pays for that? We even pay for the stormwater we did not mean to manage. Inflow is a technical term for stormwater that enters sanitary sewers through flooded manholes or aging pipe. The pipes carry both sewage and stormwater to the wastewater treatment plant, so we needlessly pay to treat this stormwater. When it rains in Fremont, almost half of the treated water is stormwater. Everyone in Fremont with a water bill pays to treat that stormwater. Even without floods or pipe problems, we still pay when overburdened streams begin carrying more stormwater due to new development. Here, rushing water erodes side banks and scours creek bottoms. The first result is more sediment in the water, loss of wildlife habitat and – if that creek runs through your backyard – a loss of land. If the bank erodes six inches a year, how much land will you lose before your mortgage is paid? And who is paying for it? Then there are costs that don’t tally on a balance sheet. No more lazy afternoons spent swimming or fishing because of poor water quality. You can’t reach your daughter’s piano recital because the road is flooded. There’s this big mess we’re leaving for our kids to clean up. Can we really put a price on these things? Making stormwater costs a separate line item doesn’t make them higher, but it does make them more apparent. Next time someone complains about the ‘new’ stormwater bill, tell him we’ve been paying all along. The only difference is that we have finally started to count the costs.
Beach Blahs? Feeling sick after that beach picnic? Before you blame the potato salad, consider what you swam in. Waters polluted by stormwater can cause stomach illness, respiratory disease and eye, ear and skin infections in swimmers. Lakes, rivers, streams and oceans can all be contaminated when germs from animal waste, poorly maintained septic systems and other sources pour in after a rainstorm. Discovering the source of an illness is hard to do, but swimming waters may be a possible source. The culprits fall into three main classes: bacteria, protozoa and viruses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “recreational water illnesses [RWIs] can cause a wide variety of symptoms,” but “the most common reported RWI is diarrhea.” Bacteria like E. coli are the main sources – even a mild case can cause intestinal troubles. In rarer cases, bacteria are responsible for even more serious diseases. Protozoa problems tend to revolve around giardia and cryptosporidium, whose symptoms range from nausea to—in immune-compromised people—death. Viruses like Hepatitis A cause jaundice and fever, and other viruses can transmit conjunctivitis (better known as pink eye). An Expensive Problem Across the United States in 2004, pollution caused nearly 20,000 days of closing and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches (Murray & Songhen, 2000). The majority of the closings and advisories (85 percent) came about when bacteria associated with fecal material were detected. North Carolina does not close marine beaches. Instead, it issues advisories that recommend against swimming when state and federal standards are exceeded. Both marine and freshwater beaches can be closed at the local health director’s discretion in the event of a major health threat such as a sewage spill. North Carolina has a fairly good coastal beach record. In 2005, we’ve had 85 ‘beach days’ worth of advisories - only one of those days was for an ocean beach. Swimming advisory days declined over the past three years. California is not so lucky. A recent study calculated the cost of illness from swimming at two beaches – Newport and Huntington –at 3.3 million in health related expenses. Of course, these beaches have wastewater treatment pipes discharging to the ocean — something North Carolina does not allow. In addition to the human impact, businesses lose out, too. The cost of closing a Lake Michigan beach could be as high as $37,000 per day. In North Carolina, shellfish beds are also impacted by stormwater. If you added up all the acres of closed beds you’d get an area the size of Wayne County. In 1997, the U.S. EPA calculated stormwater runoff costs paid by the United States shellfish and commercial fish industries nationwide reached the $17 million to $31 million range. That’s a lot of clams! What’s Being Done? The federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act put a new standard into effect in 2004 to address the increasing numbers of sick swimmers. The Act required states to adopt federal bacteria standards and provides support to monitor water and notify the public. To check out coastal beach quality in North Carolina, the Division of Environmental Health created this handy Web site so check it out when you pack up the boogie boards. Checking the water and notifying the public are a good start, but North Carolina has done this since 1997 - longer than many other states. The increase in beach closures and advisories nationally reflects new monitoring measures and higher standards adopted by other states less proactive then North Carolina. Work is underway to manage the flow of stormwater laden with pollutants of all types – at the beach or on dry land. In coastal areas, stormwater outfalls to the beach are being replaced with other, less-contaminating systems. State and local health departments are working with septic tank users to ensure proper maintenance. Staff from the divisions of Water Quality and Environmental Health sample and test water. They also work to create new ways to address the problem. All of us can help. Pick up after your pets when you walk them. Give children swimming in diapers frequent checks to ensure they don’t have an “accident,” and dispose of used diapers properly. To protect yourself, check the beach for stormwater outfalls. If you see any, do not swim near them. Parents in particular should not allow their children to play in the pools and streamlets these outfalls make. What looks like a safe play zone away from waves and currents is a potential health hazard. Avoid swimming after a heavy rain. Check the water for trash or oil slicks—both can enhance the chance of contaminants in the water. Don’t swallow the water or even get it in your mouth, if at all possible. It’s been a long time since we could drink untreated water from area lakes or rivers, but who knew swimming could make you sick? Now we do. Working together is the only way to improve the situation. Until then, take a few extra steps for safety’s sake. And next time, pack potato chips!
Please check out this pdf file to find out about Stormwater, Mosquitoes, & You!