Raleigh to Pursue Less Stringent Runoff Rules

Raleigh, N.C. — The City Council voted Tuesday to seek a less restrictive alternative to a state-mandated rezoning proposal intended to protect the Neuse River from excessive runoff.

The council's vote follows a recommendation from the city Planning Commission last week to meet minimum state standards for the runoff control so residents in a 5,000-acre portion of north Raleigh wouldn't be prevented from building additions or decks on their homes.

The regulations are aimed at protecting the Neuse River near the old Burlington Mills plant off Capital Boulevard. The state has designated the river as a water supply and wants the new rules to limit stormwater runoff from rooftops and driveways to increase water-quality levels.

A privately owned water intake at the Burlington Mills site is unused, but Franklin County officials have issued plans to use it to draw water from the Neuse.

Residents living in an area bounded by N.C. Highway 98 and Durant Road on the north and south and Falls of Neuse Road and Capital Boulevard on the west and east are affected by the new rules. The area includes the Wakefield Plantation, Bedford at Falls River and Falls River neighborhoods.

City staff members now have to write the new runoff rules, and a public hearing will have to be held on the proposal before it comes back to the City Council for a vote.

If the city doesn't implement stiffer regulations to control runoff, the state could levy $10,000 monthly fines.

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Managing water quality is one important aspect and potential benefit of controling runoff, but returning runoff, primarily rainwater, to the ground water supply might be just as important. The earth itself is a pretty good purifier. Look at all the septic systems that are returning water to the water table. All the talk today about Raleigh's latest water restrictions are based on taking water from Falls Lake. Raleigh and all municipalities need to be considerate of the ground water table because there are thousands of homes and businesses on wells and many communities with community well systems. We are all really sharing the same finite water resources.

x
February 5, 2008 5:50 p.m.

Problem with the run off is it carries contaminates. So basically Raleigh is saying to heck with you we aren't drinking the stuff so why should we care? I hope the state fines them and uses the money for Roads. Meeker will just dream up another fee for the city to cover the fines.

whatelseisnew
February 5, 2008 5:07 p.m.

I'm confused. We have a water shortage. Don't we want water to go into the Neuse from elsewhere so that we don't have to let it out of Falls lake?

Chuck U Farley
February 5, 2008 4:20 p.m.

If Franklin County withdraws water from the Neuse River, and they discharge into the Tar River via their existing WWTP, then more water must be released from Falls Lake to make up for the interbasin transfer loss in the Neuse.

Franklin County should be forced to discharge their sewage 100 feet upstream of their water intake point.

bushretard
February 5, 2008 4:12 p.m.

Now is the time to be most conservative in our management of run off and water usage. The ground in this area is being covered with unnatural stuff at an alarming rate. If Wakefield was built to the wrong standards, not enough uncovered ground, the state requirements to protect the water runoff should not be overridden just to satisfy someone's urge to make their castle bigger.