The North Carolina. Division of Water Quality has scheduled four public hearings to gather comments on proposed changes to stormwater rules that protect sensitive coastal waters.

The division recommended amending the state coastal stormwater requirements after the agency’s study concluded that current rules were not providing effective protection for aquatic resources, including shellfish harvesting and recreation. The proposed amendments would bring the state stormwater program in all 20 coastal counties in line with the Phase II stormwater requirements mandated for Brunswick, Onslow, and New Hanover counties. 

The hearings will be held at 7 p.m. on the following dates and locations:

•    Sept. 18, Beaufort Community College, Building #8 Auditorium, 5337 Highway 264 East, Washington.
•    Sept. 20, College of the Albemarle (the old Manteo Middle School Auditorium), Roanoke Island Campus, 205 Highway 64 South – Business, Manteo.
•    Sept. 25, Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City.
•    Oct. 2, Coastline Convention Center, 501 Nutt Street, Wilmington.

Registration for those who wish to present oral comments at the hearings will begin at 6:30 p.m. The hearing officer may limit time if necessary to assure that all those who wish to speak have the opportunity to do so. Those with comments longer than three minutes are asked to bring three copies of the comments to be included in the hearing record.

The proposals cover such things as extending the vegetative buffer setback on coastal waters from 30 feet to 50 feet, excluding wetlands when calculating allowed lot coverage, reducing the density and impervious lot coverage for areas within ½ mile of shellfishing waters, and requiring engineered stormwater control systems on lots with more than 24 percent coverage.

“These proposals increase protections for waters draining to commercial nursery, harvesting and recreational areas and offer a consistent approach for these high quality waters and wetlands along the coast,” said Tom Reeder, supervisor for the Division of Water Quality’s Wetlands and Stormwater Unit.

Supporters have lined up on both sides of the issue, and several groups have already urged attendance at the meetings.

“These rules could be devastating to your industry and your voice is needed,” advised a legislative alert from the Outer Banks Home Builders Association.

 “For more than 20 years the state has used lax regulations to try to protect coastal waters from stormwater runoff caused by development,” Jan DeBlieu, coastkeeper for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, said in an e-mail alert. “They’ve failed miserably. Stormwater is now the #1 source of coastal water pollution, and thousands of acres of shellfish beds have been closed to human harvest because of fecal coliform….Now we have a chance to set things right.”

Written comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted until Oct. 15. Written comments may be sent to Tom Reeder at 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1617 or by e-mail to tom.reeder@ncmail.net.

The hearing record, including all comments received by the closing date, will be presented to the state Environmental Management Commission for consideration of the proposed amendments.

To view the public notice, including the proposed rule amendments, visit the division’s Web site at: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/pubinfo/DWQPubInfoCalendar.htm.