Environmental Programs: Stormwater Related
For more details and programs, see the Stormwater section
Drainage Assistance Program
In order to assist citizens with existing stormwater concerns, the City of Raleigh has established a drainage assistance policy. Under the policy, the City will provide technical design and cost-sharing assistance, if the owner is willing to provide necessary easements and share in the cost of the repairs. More than $600,000 is spent annually on the program. Seventeen (17) projects were approved in 2007 to alleviate flooding of buildings and stream erosion on private property. To report drainage problems, citizens should contact the City’s Stormwater Management Division at 996-3940.
Stream Restoration
Another way the City of Raleigh is addressing existing stream impacts from urbanization is through restoration of streams that are actively eroding or have been adversely impacted by runoff from development. For example, construction was completed in April 2007 on the Mapleridge Road stream daylighting project that involved excavating a 66-inch drainage culvert and reconstructing a 30-foot-wide stream channel. The purpose of the City-funded project was to restore a stream that was piped and buried years ago to accommodate a residential subdivision. The $1.1 million project is expected to relieve significant flooding of adjacent homes and Mapleridge Road itself.
Also, water quality and wildlife benefits derived from the 600 feet of new stream are eligible for mitigation credits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Stream restoration projects in Chavis and Kentwood parks have been completed in Raleigh as part of a cooperative effort between the City and the State’s Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). The projects, which cost more than $1 million, stabilized eroding stream banks and provided much improved water quality and habitat for wildlife in the streams and banks.
Watershed Studies
In order to proactively manage the impacts of stormwater, the City of Raleigh has been preparing drainage basin studies for each of Raleigh’s larger watersheds. The studies identify existing and future flooding, erosion, and water quality concerns and potential solutions or preventive measures. Fifteen (15) basin studies are complete. Currently under way is a comprehensive study of the Walnut Creek watershed. The City will begin additional studies of Crabtree Creek and other tributaries to the Neuse River this year.
Lake Preservation
The basin studies also identify lakes for protection under the City’s Lake Preservation Program. Lakes that provide significant public water quality and flood control benefits are prioritized for acquisition or preservation through easements. The City’s first major lake preservation effort was Beamon Lake in the Brentwood neighborhood. Construction to repair the dam and restore the lake was completed in the spring of 2005. Funding for additional lake preservation projects is included in the City’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan. These projects are for Upper Longview, White Oak, Carolina Pines, Lower Longview, Northshore, Greystone, Brockton and Brentwood Today lakes and a constructed wetland in Fletcher Park. The Fletcher Park program will cost approximately $500,000, with funds mainly coming from state and federal grants. An amendment that incorporates lake preservation in the City’s Comprehensive Plan was approved in early 2007. Also, water quality studies have been completed that identify 103 lakes in Raleigh that are slated for inclusion in the City’s lake preservation program.
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