Committee gets another year to work on new stormwater rules

Havelock officials want the city to help protect the environment.

And to do that better and comply with new federal regulations, the city formed a Stormwater Ad Hoc Committee last year.

"In order to be good stewards, we have to do things differently than we have in the past," said Dan Harbaugh, Havelock Public Services director.

The Havelock Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to extend the life of the committee another year. It had been scheduled to hold its last meeting this month and present final recommendations on a stormwater management plan to commissioners on March 12.

Harbaugh said that while much work has been done, more remains, a point echoed by Commissioner Danny Walsh.

"They have done a tremendous job. They are to be commended for what they have done," said Walsh, who is the board representative on the committee.

Havelock received a waiver in 2010 from having to meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase II requirements on the condition that it develop a wastewater management program.

Part of that plan was to form the stormwater committee.

The Phase II stormwater program is a federal requirement in all 50 states. Havelock has been told it has to become part of the program by 2015.

The core "drivers" of the program are public education and outreach, public involvement, reduction and elimination of illicit discharges, construction site runoff, post-construction runoff, other pollution prevention, and housekeeping measures.

Stormwater runoff — the water that typically runs into storm drains during rainfall — in general has been identified as a large source of pollution in streams and rivers. Phase II rules aim to tackle the problem.

Harbaugh said the city needed to adopt new stormwater regulations that would likely mean fee increases to city water and sewer customers. The fees would be used to pay the salary of a new city worker who would be in charge of enforcing the new regulations as well as a city vehicle for that employee’s transportation.

As part of the proposed rules, city property owners would be given incentives to use methods on their properties to reduce the amount of water runoff through the use of rain barrels, containment ponds and porous driveways and walkways.

Harbaugh said now that the committee’s life has been extended, it will work on developing an equation through which fees can be fairly charged.

"Until we determine who all is going to be subject to it, we can’t tell you how much the fee is," Harbaugh said.

Mayor Jimmy Sanders said that the fees, which some may say amount to a rain tax, will not sit well with the public.

"The public needs to know we’re being brought to the table kicking and screaming," Sanders said of the federal regulations. "We didn’t bring this up."

Harbaugh said implementation could begin as early as next year, but until a fee program is determined, no one in the city would be charged.

Before any new rules and fees are implemented, a public hearing will be held. Commissioners would also have to approve the new regulations.

Members of Havelock’s stormwater committee include Walsh as chairman, Brad Turner, Jerry Jackson, George Cook, Ted Fort, Bernd Doss, George Corbin and Jackie Attaway.

For more information, call Harbaugh at 444-6409.