Kinston installed the first rain garden in eastern North Carolina — at the 

 Neuseway Nature Center in 1 998. It was designed by NC State faculty and 

 built by Kinston City crews for public demonstration. 



The rain garden has proven to work. Runoff is directed into the garden 

 from the rooftop of an adjacent building via piping. The garden consists of a 

 depression landscaped with trees, shrubs and other water-tolerant plants, grass, 

 and mulch overtop of sandy soil. The bowl shape of the rain garden is designed 

 to hold the amount of water able to infiltrate and allow extra flow to run over 

 the surrounding area. 



Rain gardens are generally no more costly than traditional landscaping. 

 Developers, such as East Carolina Mortgage in Kinston, have utilized them for 

 control and treatment of runoff from parking lots and sidewalks. 



Another successful BMP is a wetland retrofit on the Lenoir County 

 Boat Ramp on U.S. 70. Construction of a boat ramp isolated an area that could 

 collect and treat stormwater before re-entry into the Neuse. 



Runoff from a parking lot flows down the boat ramp where it is then col- 

 lected by a trench drain. The trench drain empties into a natural depression, or 

 bowl-shaped area, that serves as a small wetland equipped to treat runoff. Water 

 flows through the wetland and, once treated, drains through an outlet pipe into a 

 ditch connected to the Neuse River. 



The project was inexpensive. Costs amounted merely to the construction 

 of the trench and the outlet pipe. Meanwhile Kinston gained the addition of a 

 pocket wetland in an opportune and previously developed area. 



Other innovative BMPs in place in Kinston are a permeable parking 

 lot at the Alice Hannibal Building and a green roof in the Neuseway Nature 

 Center. 



The Adkin Branch Stream Restoration Project — the first phase of 

 construction was completed in September 2003 by the N.C Department of 

 Transportation — and plans for a stonnwater wetland at the Kinston Public 

 Service Complex are current projects. 



Concrete Results in River Bend 



River Bend literally is immersed in water quality issues. 



The Trent River, a major tributary to the Neuse, borders the town to the 

 south. There's a canal to the east, and one-third of the undeveloped land is 

 located in the 100-year flood plain. This attractive residential community of 

 approximately 3,000 is home to acres of wetland habitat. 



Because of its small size, River Bend is unaffected directly by the Neuse 

 stormwater rule and even the Phase II rules. Nevertheless, town leaders are 

 proud of their proactive response to current environmental regulations and 

 understand that they may be petitioned into the rules at a later date. 



Their first step was to create a comprehensive plan with funding from a 

 Coastal Area Management Act grant. This long-term plan, adopted in Novem- 

 ber 2000, is intended to serve as a living document that is updated frequently. 



"The document is recognition that the town is a fragile wetland environ- 

 ment in need of protection," says John Kirkland, mayor of River Bend. With 

 the comprehensive plan. River Bend has adopted a capital improvement plan 

 and a town council action agenda to ensure that water quality endeavors are 

 moving towards execution. 



One of the town's first and most pressing needs was to increase the size 

 of all storm pipes in the area assisted by a Federal Emergency Management 



Agency grant for mitigation of flood hazard. The larger pipes, complete 

 with water-control structures, decrease flooding in the area and aid in 

 water control. 



Also, River Bend has installed a wetland demonstration site, a 

 constructed wetland, a permeable parking lot, and various aesthetic and 

 functional pond retrofits for treatment of stormwater runoff. 



"River Bend approached the issue in a holistic sense. They really 

 tried a lot of things," says NC State Biological and Agricultural Engineer- 

 ing Stormwater Specialist Bill Hunt. 



The permeable parking lot at the town police station was a col- 

 laboration of the town, Hunt and the NCCES, DWR, and the Carteret 

 Correctional Facility. 



It was one of the first installations of a designed permeable pave- 

 ment system in North Carolina — so new, components of this system 

 were shipped from Maryland. 



Composed of permeable interlocking concrete pavement laid by 

 hand over sand, geoteeh fabric and more sand, the lot is expected to 

 decrease creek erosion, runoff water temperatures, flooding, and pollut- 

 ants caused by runoff from impervious surfaces. 



Last summer, the lot contributed data to a larger study conducted 

 across North Carolina and parts of Maryland to test the long-term effect 

 of permeable pavement 



While alternative paving materials are not official BMPs, data col- 

 lected from this lot, and others, may change their status in the future. 



Through demonstration sites, pamphlets, town meetings, and 

 continuation of a volunteer-based environment and waterways board, 

 Kirkland plans to "get a greater percentage of citizens to understand the 

 importance and need to comply to and understand the regulations." 



The future creation of a half-mile nature walk in town also will 

 enhance this understanding. The town owns 100 acres of wetlands and is 

 devoted to leaving it in a natural state. 



Policywise, officials are expecting to establish a maximum percent- 

 age of impervious surface for anyone planning to develop or modify 

 existing property, says Town Manager Eric Pearson. 



"We care very much that our stormwater is handled carefully and 

 properly and are making good progress due to the guidance of our mayor 

 and council." 



A Basinwide Effort 



Smithfield, Kinston and River Bend have contributed to the solu- 

 tion, but they are not alone in their efforts. "We have been successful in 

 installing BMPs from Havelock to Durham and all the cities in between," 

 says Hunt. 



For information about stormwater management practices in the 

 Neuse River Basin, go online to N.C. Cooperative Extension at www.ces. 

 ncsu.edu, or the Neuse River Education Team at www.neuse.ncsu.edu. 



In Smithfield, contact Kenneth Bateman at 919/989-5380 ovken_ 

 batenwn@ncsu.edu. In Kinston, contact Stephen Miller at 252/939-3287 

 or steve.miller@ciMnston.nc.us. In River Bend, contact John Kirkland at 

 252/638-3870 or jkirkland@riverbendnc.org. E 



SPRING 2004 



