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EPA, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Coordinate Storm Water Compliance, Enforcement Actions in Raleigh

Release Date: 08/10/2004
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) in cooperation with local officials have completed Clean Water Act (CWA) compliance and enforcement actions in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. The coordinated actions addressed violations associated with the treatment and disposal of storm water at construction sites. These violations have resulted in adverse impacts on water quality. Inspections were performed during the week of March 8, 2004, at construction sites that exceeded five acres of disturbed land within the Raleigh area. Each site was evaluated based upon compliance with North Carolina's Construction General Permit for Storm Water Point Source Discharges at Construction Sites, issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Program. EPA, NCDENR and local agencies evaluated the facilities' impact on the receiving streams and their compliance with the federal and state storm water regulations. As a part of this effort, EPA, in cooperation with NCDENR, has issued either an Administrative Order (AO) or a Notice of Violations (NOV) to some of the facilities. The AO requires the submission of either a permit application or a Notice of Intent (NOI) for coverage under the general permit or the installation and/or maintenance of Best Management Practices (BMPs) throughout the site. The NOV is a letter stating that EPA is aware of violations at the site and warns of formal enforcement actions if the violations are not corrected. Administrative Orders Beazer Homes (Crossmann Communities of North Carolina) Summer Meadows, Phase II Autumn Park Mitchell Mill (McKinley Mill) Cardinal Lake John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods, Inc. Glen Kirk Notice of Violations Beazer Homes (Crossmann Communities of North Carolina) Bloomsbury @ Cary Park Churton Grove, LLC Churton Grove Storm water runoff as a result of construction activities can have a significant impact on water quality, contributing sediment and other pollutants exposed at construction sites. Polluted storm water runoff is a leading cause of impairment to the nearly 40 percent of surveyed U.S. water bodies which do not meet water quality standards. Over land or via storm sewer systems, polluted runoff is discharged, often untreated, directly into local water bodies. When left uncontrolled, this water pollution can result in the destruction of fish, wildlife, and aquatic life habitats; a loss in aesthetic value; and threats to public health due to contaminated food, drinking water supplies, and recreational waterways. Mandated by Congress under the Clean Water Act, the NPDES Storm Water Program is a comprehensive two-phased national program for addressing the non-agricultural sources of storm water discharges, which adversely affect the quality of our nation's waters. The Program uses the NPDES permitting mechanism to require the implementation of controls designed to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed by storm water runoff into local water bodies.