Below are several Stormwater “tips” that can be incorporated into daily life in order to ensure that the Town of Apex remains compliant with their Phase II permit. For more information on the Phase II permit or on any tip listed below, please contact the Apex Public Works & Utilities Department at 249-3427.
On average, Apex receives over 3 inches of rain per month. Yards are wetter during winter months when it’s not hot and sunny so plants don’t dry out so fast and use as much water. Add clay soils which repel water and you may have a wet yard. This is a good time to ensure that you have positive drainage away from your home to keep water out of your crawl space. Take 5 minutes and look under your home to ensure water flows away from your home when it rains.
Never pour any chemicals or other hazardous substances from cars down a storm drain, on to the ground, or leave on driveways or parking lots. When changing fluids from your car, drain into a clean container and seal completely. Take the oil and the oil filter to a used oil collection site. The Town of Apex Public Works building at 105 Upchurch Street has a used oil drop off point for citizens to use. If you spill fluids, contain quickly with rags or kitty litter. Sweep up and safely dispose.
If you are one of the nearly 50% of the residents in North Carolina with a septic tank system, help protect our limited water resources by regularly maintaining your system. A failing septic system is a nuisance, a health hazard, and can impair our surface and groundwater supplies. Your septic tank should be pumped out once every 3-5 years. If wastewater is seeping out into your yard, a new drain field may be needed.
Waste materials from painting include excess paint, used thinner, cleanup water and wastes from prep work such as chips and scraping. Even water-soluble latex paints contain chemicals that are harmful to aquatic life and drinking water supplies. If you use water-based paints, rinse paint brushes in the sink. For oil-based paints, filter and reuse paint thinner. Dispose of all used paints and materials through a hazardous waste collection program. Never clean brushes or pour paint in the gutter or storm drain. These drains go directly to streams and rivers which provide drinking water to Apex residents.
The runoff from washing your car can be harmful to fish and the bugs they rely on for food. When washing your car, use a shutoff nozzle on your hose and use detergents and water sparingly. Wash your car on the lawn where water can soak into the ground. Or a better choice is to take your car to a commercial car wash where the wash water is recycled, reused and treated.
Steps should be taken to prevent sediment from leaving your property during any landscaping or construction activities performed. The best way to stabilize your yard to prevent soil loss is establishing vegetation through seeding and straw application. You may need to cover soil stockpiles or in some cases install a silt fence.
February is the time to consider pre-emergent weed control applications. Remember not to apply chemicals before heavy rains that would wash those newly applied chemicals into our streams and lakes. Help protect our water resources by always applying lawn chemicals during dry periods or a few days before light rains. If fertilizing too, use a “time-release” nitrogen that will leach into your soil slowly. Don’t throw your hard earned cash down the storm drain.
Reduce mosquito breeding grounds by removing any containers that can hold water, keeping gutters clean and in good repair, repairing leaky outdoor faucets and changing the water in birdbaths and pet bowls at least twice a week. Standing water in clogged gutters are a prime breeding ground. For more information on mosquito control, contact the Wake County Environmental Services at 919-856-7435.
Protect our drinking water supply. Use alternatives to herbicides to reduce weeds in you lawn and garden. Use lots of mulch, vinegar based solutions can be used as alternative weed killers, and mow fescue lawns to 3 inches to shade out weeds.
Use the internet to learn about "Rain Gardens". Citizens are encouraged to learn how to transform naturally wet areas into gardens with appropriate landscape plantings.
The best prevent for soil erosion is good vegetative cover. If you are having trouble growing grass in the shade, try planting “Hard Fescue”. “Hard Fescue” is lowmaintenance (infrequent mowing, nominal watering, little or no fertilizer, and infrequent moisture) is needed. Hard fescue does well under trees and on slopes. “Hard Fescue” requires low levels of nitrogen so go easy on the fertilizer, and never fertilize before heavy rains.
When raking your leaves to the curb for loose leaf collection, be sure to keep them out of the road and away from storm drains, ditches and streams. Leaves and other debris can block drainage ways causing water to flood the roads. Whenever possible, use a rake or broom to clean the yard, driveway and gutters. Use leaf blowers responsibly and never rake or blow leaves and debris into a stream or storm drain. They can clog drains and lead to flooding and water quality impairment. Town ordinances allow only rainwater in storm drains.
Rainfall totals can help the Town assess stormwater problems. If you have a rain gage or weather station and would like to share your data with the Town, please contact Public Works.
If you are considering improvements to your property such as decks, patios, sheds, or pools, in addition to applying for appropriate building permits, consider whether you will be building in a stream buffer. State and local stream buffer regulations restrict clearing and building within 50 to 100 feet of streams.
Is there a stream or ditch in your backyard? It is your responsibility to keep it clear of debris so that stormwater runoff can pass. Fallen trees should be removed. It is best to just cut out the section blocking the creek and leave the root ball to help stabilize the banks. And remember to leave a buffer of at least 50 feet of trees and shrubs along the creek to protect water quality.
It is OK to prune vegetation within a riparian buffer. It is also OK to remove nuisance vegetation such as poison ivy, vines, and bamboo. And, it is OK to remove dead trees. State and local stream buffer regulations restrict clearing and building within 50 to 100 feet of streams.
Fences are generally allowed in the riparian buffer and floodplains. However, trees may not be removed in order to install a fence. And, fences may not block the flow of streams or stormwater runoff. If there is floodplain on your property, care should be taken when installing blockade type fences so that the likelihood of flooding is not increased.
Don’t trash your stream buffer! While composting is great for improving soil, please don’t throw your Christmas tree in or along a stream. In addition to being a fire hazard, dead trees can block stream flow which leads to flooding.
Pet waste is a health hazard and a water pollutant. Protect your health and our waterways - Clean up after your pet! Do not leave pet waste on driveways, sidewalks or other impervious (hard) surfaces where it can wash into storm drains and waterways. Never place pet waste in a storm drain, stream or lake. Use a bag to pick up pet waste, tie it, and place in the trash.
The Town of Apex maintains the stormwater drainage system on all Town property and within public drainage easements and right-of-way (ROW) along Town maintained roads. If you have a problem with drainage on your property, please contact the Public Works & Utilities Department for an assessment of the problem. If the problem lies outside of the ROW and/or 10 feet beyond the end of the pipe, it is most likely the property owner’s responsibility to remedy the problem.
Although the hurricane season began June 1, it typically peaks in North Carolina in September. If you live near a stream or creek or have storm drain systems near your home, make sure the streams, ditches and structures are not blocked. Blockages can back water up causing flooded streets and yards. Report blockages within the ROW to Public Works.
Only rain down the drain! There are approximately 2,500 catch basins in Apex which flow to lakes and streams in the Neuse and Cape Fear River Basins. Earn volunteer hours! Volunteer to stencil storm drains in Apex neighborhoods. Call 249-3427 to volunteer or email jessica.bolin@apexnc.org.
Apex is now home to over 100 stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Most are installed with development or redevelopment projects including many residential neighborhoods. Some are installed as part of Town projects. Each BMP is required to be inspected annually to ensure it is operating as designed. The owners including HOAs are responsible for all inspections and for the continued operation of the BMP. More information