Coastal Stormwater Regulations

Thanks in part to SELC's advocacy, North Carolina lawmakers have remedied the state’s ineffective rule for safeguarding coastal waters from stormwater runoff carrying contaminants off of roads, roofs, and lawns.

In 2006, after more than three years of fighting for better stormwater protections in North Carolina, SELC successfully championed a new program that requires tough and effective controls on polluted runoff in the fastest-growing counties and municipalities. As an outgrowth of that work, SELC encouraged the state to evaluate similar regulations on North Carolina’s coast, where almost 20 percent of shellfish beds are closed due to pollution. As a result, the state's Department of Environment and Natural Resources determined that North Carolina’s coastal stormwater regulations were completely ineffective for protecting oyster and clam beds, which are integral to the way of life on the coast and are particularly sensitive to runoff bacteria.

In January, state regulators approved a new rule that SELC has advocated. The protections are based on the best available science and would require developers to take effective measures to keep runoff from jeopardizing shellfish waters. The rule cleared its last hurdle in the 2008 General Assembly.