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Cramerton adopts stormwater master plan; HDR gap-analysis contract approved 3–2
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Summary
The Board of Commissioners adopted the Cramerton Stormwater Master Plan and authorized an HDR Engineering gap-analysis contract reduced to $58,560; the master plan passed unanimously while the HDR proposal passed on a 3–2 vote with Commissioners Abernathy and Atkinson opposed.
Cramerton’s Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19 adopted a comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan intended to bring the town into compliance with updated state and federal expectations and to prepare for an anticipated NCDEQ audit.
LaBella Associates’ Bonnie Fisher reviewed the plan’s timeline and history, noting the town’s stormwater program began with a 2007 permit and was renewed in 2012 and 2017. Consultants from HDR, represented by Patrick Blandford, described a gap-analysis and technical tasks the firm would perform to help the town prepare for an NCDEQ audit expected in early 2022. The record lists six minimum control measures the town must document: public education; public involvement and participation; illicit discharge detection and elimination; construction site runoff control; post-construction stormwater management; and fecal coliform risk assessment documentation.
Mayor Will Cauthen said staff had been preparing for the new requirements and that regulations "have changed and this is an unfunded mandate," noting the town previously increased stormwater fees to respond to state requirements. Town Attorney Kevin Bringewatt Wolter emphasized that the state permit requires written procedures identifying steps, schedules, resources and responsibilities for each minimum control measure.
Commissioner Helms moved to adopt the Stormwater Master Plan; the motion carried 5–0. On a separate vote to approve an HDR Engineering proposal to perform the technical gap analysis and selected tasks, the board approved a reduced-scope contract of $58,560 (the initial HDR estimate had been about $95,000). That contract passed 3–2; Commissioners Abernathy and Atkinson voted no. The contract scope assumes staff will perform portions of the work while HDR provides technical expertise, public outreach drafts and deliverables.
Next steps identified by staff include development of a written 'playbook' documenting procedures for implementation, ongoing annual reporting to NCDEQ, and renewal of the municipal permit on the five-year cycle. The record indicates the NCDEQ audit and the permit renewal process will occur in early 2022; staff said audits may be random and that notices of deficiency or violation will be handled per state procedures.