| dc.description.abstract |
Stormwater is one of the largest sources of pollutants in the United States and contributes
sediment, heavy metals, oil, pesticides, fertilizers, bacteria, and other contaminants
to coastal waters. Water quality is critical to coastal areas for commercial fishery
health and recreational activities. To minimize the introduction of water quality
pollutants, North Carolina implemented the State Stormwater Program (SSP) for post
construction stormwater management. A study in 2005 identified low compliance rates
with the SSP (30.7%) and a follow-up in 2009 found that only 20% of noncompliant sites
had rectified their violations. There are currently no studies documenting recent
compliance rates with the SSP. This study addressed three objectives: (1) Update the
compliance study to include recent trends in compliance and reasons for violations
(2) Determine the perceptions of the strengths and opportunities for improvement,
and (3) Conduct a program analysis of the SSP. These objectives were achieved by analyzing
compliance data from the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources, conducting
interviews with a small sample of entities that interact with the SSP, and reviewing
applicable compliance literature. The results of our study show potential areas for
improvement and were used to make policy recommendations for North Carolina to increase
compliance with these regulations. Our results indicate that compared to the 2005
estimate, compliance in 2012 increased to 50%, and was lower in coastal counties than
noncoastal counties. In total there were 2,838 compliance inspections between 2008
and 2012. Yearly inspections increased between 2008 and 2010, but decreased sharply
in 2011 and remained low in 2012. The majority of violations were due to reporting
and maintenance issues. Interview respondents indicated that the main impediments
to compliance are maintenance and education, and that compliance could be improved
through increased maintenance checks and public outreach efforts. The program analysis
showed that while the stormwater program generally has clear regulations, it could
benefit from increased visibility of the regulating agency, engagement, as well as
education. Potential avenues for improvement are discussed, and are considered within
the context of our findings.
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