United States Office of Water EPA-833-F-94-011
Environmental Protection Agency 4203 November 1994
SUMMARIES OF MS4 PERMITS
NPDES MS4 Permit for Charlotte, NC
Permit Number: NCS000240
Date Issued: November 1, 1993
Date Expires: June 30, 1998
Management Program Highlights:
Storm Water System Inventory. Charlotte has conducted a pilot inventory of an area of the City to proj ect maintenance needs
City-wide and determine the numbers and types of storm water structures. A complete inventory of the storm water system will
be done over a two-year period. The City has been divided into polygons that represent various neighborhoods, land uses,
and/or stream segments based on the types and magnitudes of the problems in the areas. The polygons have been prioritized
into digitized into the City's GIS.
Commercial and Residential The City will implement a monitoring program to assess the effectiveness of proposed
management practices in channel maintenance, inlet cleaning, and structure maintenance. Pilot basins will be monitored for key
pollutants with and without maintenance practices. Charlotte will carefully evaluate existing yard waste recycling, litter control,
and other housekeeping programs; compare them to programs in other cities, and make recommendations for improvements or
other pilot programs.
Construction Sites. Inspectors will be trained in state-of-the-art erosion and sedimentation control devices through a yearly in-
house training program.
Industry Inspection Program. The City will implement a problem-oriented site inspection program where "Stream Walk," the
ambient stream monitoring program, and citizen complaints will be used to identify problem areas; the City will inspect facilities
potentially contributing to identified problems. Charlotte will develop inspection procedures and an inspection manual.
Random Monitoring. Charlotte will develop a database of industrial and related facilities, and will implement a random
monitoring program of industrial facilities (eight sites per year).
Stream Water Program. The City and neighboring communities will continue to coordinate with Mecklenburg County in its
"Stream Walk" program, where teams of volunteers participate in stream surveys looking for illegal discharges, litter, deposits
from construction sites, and broken or leaking sanitary sewer system pipes. Volunteer teams are assigned stream segments and
complete survey forms. The survey results are used to conduct further investigations with trained county personnel who
conduct before-and-after biological assessments.
Household Hazardous Waste Program. A household hazardous waste (HHW) program will be developed and implemented in
coordination with the Mecklenburg County. Program highlights will include: used oil recycling; HHW turn-in; the potential use
of a mobile collection unit; extensive public education; and a review of existing small quantity generators program to determine
the potential for storm water impacts.
Control of Chemicals. Charlotte will coordinate with the State Agricultural Extension on the use of Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) methods in City pesticide applications. These methods will be tried on a demonstration, pilot, or phased
basis to determine effectiveness and cost. The City will improve the performance of commercial pesticide applicators by
creation of a database of all applicators, coordination of course offerings, and the development of a standard field users manual
for all applicators.
"Clean Water... A Better Environment"
Office of Wastewater Management (OWM)
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United States Office of Water EPA-833-F-94-011
Environmental Protection Agency 4203 November 1994
NPDES MS4 Permit for Charlotte, NC
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Monitoring Highlights:
Stream Problem Rating Scheme. The City of Charlotte, NC has developed a stream problem rating system which is designed
to characterize and prioritize stream segments based on a series of pollutant parameters believed to be reflective of the water
quality conditions in a stream segment. Limiting concentration ranges for a number of indicator pollutants have been
established which are segregated into three action rating levels; No Action, Watch, and Action. An exceedance frequency was
then developed for each pollutant which established the number of times a limiting concentration could be exceeded before a
stream segment was classified by a particular action level. Using the database capabilities of a GIS, monitoring data were then
sorted in order to establish an action level for each stream segment.
In-stream Monitoring. Charlotte is developing a program to employ macroinvertebrate richness sampling in larger streams to
assess the impacts of all types of pollution on the benthic community. The City already maintains an extensive in-stream
monitoring program which monitors surface water quality at 44 locations. This includes dry and wet- weather biological
monitoring.
Program Specific Monitoring. The City will implement the following specific monitoring programs: industrial monitoring;
landfill monitoring; BMP monitoring; drainage system maintenance monitoring; pesticide and fertilizer monitoring; and roadway
pollution monitoring.
Storm Water Utility:
A user fee will be assessed to property owners for the discharge of storm water to the drainage system. The City will grant
storm water fee credits to property owners who undertake certain activities to lessen the physical impact of their properties on
the drainage system. These include providing on-site control of peak discharges from a 10 year storm; runoff volume from a 2-
year storm; and improving water quality through the use of wet ponds and dry detention ponds meeting certain criteria.
Watershed Protection Activities:
Charlotte will investigate design criteria for new development in a number of sensitive areas (watershed protection areas to
formulate a new ordinance for planning of storm water quality, and will establish a permanent storm water advisory committee.
Coordination with the county will be used to the maximum extent practicable. Specifically, Charlotte will seek to participate in
the watershed protection planning process to insure consistency throughout the county.
Geographic Information System:
A GIS system has been developed as part of the City's storm water management program. It currently includes: waters of the
State; watershed boundaries; locations of landfills, public lands, NPDES industries, and TSD facilities; identified problem areas;
storm water utility data; and City drainage structures. Future enhancements to the GIS will include sampling data, illicit
discharge identification, and other data supporting the elements of the City's storm water program.
For More Information:
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Contact the North Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Natural Resources at (91 9)733-5083
"Clean Water... A Better Environment"
Office of Wastewater Management (OWM)
Printed on Recycled Paper
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