In 1972, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program was established under the authority of the Clean Water Act. The Phase I and II stormwater permitting programs associated with NPDES were delegated to the NC Division of Water Quality (DWQ) for implementation. The Phase I stormwater program began in 1990 and applies to North Carolina local governments that had populations of 100,000 or more at that time. The Phase II stormwater program applies to local governments that have been selected by automatic designation, state designation, or petitioning. Since the Town of Apex owns and operates a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) and is within the Raleigh Urbanized Area boundary, DWQ automatically designated Apex to be brought into the program. Apex received their Phase II permit from DWQ in 2005.
Learn more about the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program.
Phase II local governments are required to develop and implement a stormwater management program that includes six Minimum Control Measures (MCM):
- Public Education & Outreach
- Public Involvement and Participation
- Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination
- Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Controls
- Post-Construction Stormwater Management
- Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping
1. Public Education & Outreach
MCM #1 is a program to distribute educational materials to the community or conduct equivalent outreach activities about the impacts of stormwater discharges on water bodies and the steps the public can take to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff.
The annual Peak Fest that celebrates the “Peak of Good Living” will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008. This festival has grown from a small community day in a school parking lot to an event which draws hundreds of vendors and over 25,000 people to the streets of downtown Apex. Every year, the Apex Festival Commission plans a bigger and more exciting day. Come on out and visit the Environmental Programs booth to learn more about stormwater in Apex.
The Town of Apex is a member of the Clean Water Education Partnership (CWEP). CWEP is a cooperative effort between local governments, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations to protect water quality in the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear River Basins.
Please see these Stormwater Tips that you and your family can incorporate into
your every day lives to help Apex remain compliant with their Phase II permit from the
State.
2. Public Involvement & Participation
MCM #2 is a program to reach out and engage all economic and ethnic groups and provide opportunities for the public to participate in program development and implementation.
What can citizens do to help protect our water resources in Apex?
1. Label storm drains in your community by participating in the Storm Drain Marking Program.
2. Join the annual NC Big Sweep to help keep our waterways clean.
Big Sweep Hotline
1-800-27-SWEEP
http://www.ncbigsweep.org
3. Adopt A Stream, or join Stream Watch and help keep an eye on a stream near you.
Stream Watch Coordinator
NC Division of Water Resources
1611 Mail Service Center
Raleigh , NC 27699-1611
(919) 715-5433
http://www.ncwater.org
3. Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination
MCM #3 is a program to develop, implement and enforce detection and elimination of all illicit discharges to our storm drain system. Federal regulations define an illicit discharge as “any discharge to a Municipally Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) that is not composed entirely of stormwater.” As part of the requirement of MCM #3, the Town has inventoried all stormwater drainage features within Apex.
Illicit discharges enter the system through either direct connections or indirect connections. The result is untreated discharges that contribute high levels of pollutants, including heavy metals, toxics, oil and grease, solvents, nutrients, viruses, and bacteria to receiving water bodies. Pollutant levels from these illicit discharges have been shown in EPA studies to be high enough to significantly degrade receiving water quality and threaten aquatic, wildlife, and human health. By the summer of 2008, the Town of Apex will have an ordinance in place that will give the Town the power to impart fines on illicit discharge violators within Town limits.
4. Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Controls
MCM #4 is a program to develop, implement and enforce reductions of pollutants to the Town’s MS4 from construction activities that disturb one acre or more of land.
Learn more about the Town’s erosion and sedimentation control program.
Objectives for Construction Site Runoff Controls:
- Reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff from construction activities disturbing one or more acres of land surface and those activities less than one acre that are part of a larger common plan of development.
- Provide procedures for public input, sanctions to ensure compliance, requirements for construction site operators to implement appropriate erosion and sediment control practices, review of site plans which incorporates consideration of potential water quality impacts, and procedures for site inspection and enforcement of control measures.
- Establish requirements for construction site operators to control waste such as discarded building materials, concrete truck washout, chemicals, litter, and sanitary waste.
5. Post-Construction Stormwater Management
MCM #5 is a program to develop, implement and enforce management of post-construction stormwater discharges into the Town’s MS4. This includes both structural and non-structural Best Management Practices (BMPs).
Non-structural BMPs are typically passive or programmatic and tend to be source control or pollution prevention BMPs that reduce pollution in runoff by reducing the opportunity for the stormwater runoff to be exposed to the pollutants. Structural BMPs refer to physical structures designed to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff, reduce downstream erosion, provide flood control, and promote groundwater recharge. Structural BMPs typically require engineering design and engineered construction.
The post-construction runoff control program applies to new developments that disturb an acre or more of land, including projects less than an acre that are part of a larger common plan of development or sale. The post-construction runoff control program is designed to control stormwater runoff from new development sites and to ensure long term operation and maintenance of structural BMPs. Please refer to the Stormwater BMPs link for more information on structural BMPs in Apex.
6. Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping
MCM #6 is a program to develop and implement an O&M program that includes a training component and has the ultimate goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations.
All Town of Apex Public Works employees were trained on Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping by a representative from NC State in the fall of 2007.
Learn more about Household Hazardous Waste, as well as tips on how homeowners can follow pollution prevention and good housekeeping.
Map of municipal operations facility locations 
: Each facility has been inspected and a report written documenting any adverse effects on stormwater pollution prevention.