Stormwater runoff is one of the main 

 causes of untreated pollutants entering 

 water bodies. Constructed wetlands 

 can help achieve water quality goals. 



out toxic materials through the sand. 



• Bioretention areas and rain gardens 

 typically are excavated areas filled with 

 gravel, sand, an organic soil mixture and 

 plants. The runoff is filtered through the 

 sand and the vegetation takes up some of 

 the nutrients. 



Hunt has worked with the flood-prone 

 city of Kinston on a project to demonstrate 

 the effectiveness of using pervious materials 

 for parking lot surfaces. The NC State 

 stormwater specialist also has developed an 

 on-line stormwater management course for 

 planners and engineers in the Neuse River 

 Basin. Access the site at www2.ncsu.edul 

 eoslinfolbaelcont_ed for information. 



One-by-One Improvements 



Often awareness prompts voluntary 

 response from private entities, such as an 

 established New Hanover County golf 

 course in the Cape Fear River Basin. 



Doll is collaborating with colleagues 

 from N.C. Cooperative Extension and the 

 NC State Water Quality Group to design 

 and implement a stream restoration and 

 stabilization project for the Pine Valley 

 Golf Course in Wilmington. The 800-foot 



stream runs through the golf course and 

 drains to the Hewletts Creek watershed. 



The goal of the project is to demon- 

 strate and evaluate best management 

 practices for reducing nonpoint source 

 pollutants entering the watershed from 

 urban and recreational land uses. Doll will 

 employ natural channel design techniques 

 to restore the stream and reduce erosion. 

 The floodplain will be widened to slow the 

 water. A wetland will be constructed to 

 provide some storm water retention and to 

 increase habitat diversity. The banks of the 

 stream will be planted with a mix of low- 

 growing shrubs, grasses and trees. The 

 county and state will share the cost of the 

 $87,000 project. 



Challenges and Solutions 



Water quality problems in Pamlico 

 Sound probably are the most publicized in 

 the region, if not the nation. From these 

 waters, Sea Grant researchers JoAnn 

 Burkholder and Ed Noga discovered the 

 mysterious Pfiesteria — the microorganism 

 believed to be responsible for numerous 

 fish kills in the past decade. Its presence 

 spurred state mandates to reduce nutrients 

 believed to trigger the potentially toxic 

 dinoflagellate. 



It's a tall order, considering that the 

 Neuse River water basin encompasses 

 more than 6,000 square miles and is fed by 

 3,400 miles of streams and rivers — and 

 considering that municipal water systems 

 from the 17 counties along the river 

 withdraw, use, treat and discharge millions 

 of gallons from its flow each day. 



No municipality is more aware of the 

 challenge than New Bern — the last urban 

 stop for upstream pollution before the river 

 reaches the Pamlico Sound. New Bern 

 officials teamed with geologists from East 

 Carolina University and the N.C. Division 

 of Water Quality (DWQ) to develop an 

 innovative wastewater management 

 solution. 



Part I involves a major upgrade to its 

 existing waste water treatment plant that 

 could yield high-quality treated wastewater. 



Part II is where it gets interesting. The 



high-quality effluent would not be 

 discharged directly into the Neuse River. 

 Instead, it would be pumped into an 

 abandoned Martin Marietta quarry. There, 

 it would discharge slowly through the 

 quarry floor into the limestone Castle 

 Hayne aquifer. 



Groundwater modeling that takes into 

 account the underlying geology demon- 

 strates that the water would then turn 

 upward and discharge into the Neuse River 

 and its tributaries from underneath. The 

 goal is to allow natural filtration processes 

 to remove nutrients — especially nitrogen 

 — from the treated wastewater before it re- 

 enters the Neuse. 



From a regulatory perspective, says 

 Kenneth Pohlig from the DWQ Construc- 

 tion Grants and Loans Section, this project 

 represents the first of its kind in the state. 

 Among other things, state permits would 

 require the city of New Bern to collect hard 

 data to substantiate nitrogen removal once 

 the quarry disposal site is operational. 



The upgrade for the city's treatment 

 plant is expected to be completed by 2003. 

 Until then, DWQ will continue to work 

 with the city and researchers to work out 

 details for the quarry storage project. 



Promising Times 



Sea Grant's Doll says, "These are 

 promising times that offer possibilities to 

 find science-based solutions to serious 

 water quality problems. Partnerships with 

 university, government and private entities 

 will move us toward developing sustainable 

 resources that will reap environmental and 

 economic rewards." 



For a look at some of the Sea Grant 

 collaborative programs and projects 

 fostering water quality, go to 

 www.ncsu.edu/seagrant and click on 

 Extension to reach "water quality" and 

 "marine education" initiatives. 



Want to know more about water 

 quality issues? Check out the Coastal 

 Water Quality Handbook written by 

 Barbara Doll and Lundie Spence, Sea Grant 

 marine education specialist (UNC-SG 97- 

 04, $6.) □ 



20 HOLIDAY 2000 



