what is stormwater?
When it rains or snow melts, part of the water soaks into the ground, part of it evaporates, and part of it flows over land. Stormwater runoff is the part that flows over land. In natural settings, vegetation slows stormwater runoff as it flows over land. As a result, most of the stormwater infiltrates into the soil. This is beneficial to the environment because it helps to maintain a relatively constant source of groundwater to streams, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Hard surfaces such as buildings and pavement, due to their impervious nature, allow little to no infiltration and stormwater becomes a transportation system for pollutants. As stormwater flows over hard surfaces it picks up debris, sediment, oil, antifreeze, salt, cigarette butts, feces, and other chemical pollutants. Pollutants transported by stormwater flow into Fort Liberty’s storm sewer system or directly to a pond, creek, river, or wetlands and other bodies. Anything that enters the storm sewer system is untreated and discharged into the water bodies we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking water to people that live downstream.
The Fort Liberty Stormwater Program is in place to help protect our surface waters from pollutants.
how do we manage stormwater?
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued Fort Liberty’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit numbered NCS00033 under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to protect stormwater runoff quality. The permit authorizes Fort Liberty to discharge stormwater runoff to local streams and requires Fort Liberty to develop a Stormwater Management Plan. The primary components of the Stormwater Management Plan include the following: Public Education and Outreach Program, Public Involvement and Participation Program, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program, Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control Program, Post –Construction Site Runoff Control Program, and Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping Program.
Click on each program heading listed under Quick Links for more information.