Raleigh—A
Senate vote Wednesday marked final approval of rules requiring developers to
protect waterways from polluted runoff. The legislation comes after years of
litigation and negotiation and will require runoff controls in 123 cities and
25 counties, including some of the state’s most rapidly growing areas. The bill
now awaits the Governor’s signature.
“North Carolina is developing land at the
5th fastest rate in the nation and our water quality is suffering
because of it,” says Christine Wunsche, Environment North Carolina’s Clean
Water Attorney. “With the passage of Senate Bill 1566, our legislators have
taken an important step towards ensuring that North Carolinians can enjoy clean rivers,
lakes, and estuaries, even as the state grows and development increases.”
Senate Bill 1566, “Stormwater Management Act,” address
the leading threat to North Carolina’s
water quality. Some of polluted runoff’s most devastating effects can be seen
on our coast, where polluted runoff has currently contributed to the closure of over
56,000 acres of shellfish waters. The approved
legislation includes provisions to improve protections for coastal water and
expands the coverage area of polluted runoff rules from existing runoff rules.
The legislation is a culmination of many years of
dispute and negotiation over runoff rules. Last November, after five years of
negotiation, the Rules Review Commission approved a set of compromise
stormwater rules issued by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC). These rules would replace a temporary bill
enacted by the General Assembly in 2004, while the EMC rules were caught up in
litigation. The two sets of outstanding
rules gave legislators the opportunity to readdress polluted runoff rules. The
resulting legislation reflects a compromise between the EMC rules and the 2004
legislation.
Polluted runoff occurs because as rain hits paved surfaces, pollution
such as oil, dirt, fertilizer, and other toxins, are swept off of the surface
and funneled straight into our waters. Polluted runoff destroys water quality
in our rivers, lakes and streams and can have a destructive impact on shellfish
waters. As development booms along the coast, the need to protect our coastal
waters from polluted runoff becomes more and more urgent.
