EMERALD ISLE — The town is seeking proposals from firms to develop a stormwater management master plan.
The request for proposals went up on the Emerald Isle website Thursday, about a month after the town planning board discussed the idea and a plan to revamp stormwater control rules.
The RFP states, “Recent flooding events have highlighted the need to address stormwater drainage issues on a comprehensive Town-wide basis. To this end, the Town is pursuing the creation of a stormwater master plan to guide stormwater improvements over the next 30 years.”
The firm awarded the contract is expected to:
- Evaluate existing stormwater runoff conditions, existing system capacity and identify areas with frequent flooding.
- Evaluate existing capacity of stormwater infrastructure, pumping stations and identify additional capacity needs.
- Identify capital stormwater improvements to reduce flooding risk, reduce damage to public and private property and improve access and safety.
- Quantify the capital and ongoing maintenance costs for implementing the stormwater infrastructure projects.
- Identify permitting pathways to implement stormwater system improvements.
- Prioritize stormwater system improvements.
The town will provide the chosen company existing data for the stormwater system, including material, size, elevations and conditions, as well as a list of flood complaints from property owners and residents.
In addition to developing a master plan, Planning Director Josh Edmondson said last month he hopes to present the planning board a proposed rewritten stormwater management ordinance for consideration this fall.
He said the rewrite he and other town staff are working on would likely include a requirement that stormwater plans submitted for new developments be signed by an engineer.
Mr. Edmondson told the board in August about 70% of the lots in town have been built upon and those that remain undeveloped are more marginal in terms of suitability. In addition, he said, redevelopment that has been occurring generally replaces smaller old homes with larger ones, increasing impervious surface and thus stormwater runoff.
There is often significant flooding in some areas of the town, particularly in the Coast Guard Road corridor, after storms, and officials have acknowledged the problems now occur more frequently and during less severe storms. It’s one of the most frequent complaints from property owners.
The town has a number of stormwater collection systems and there are private ones, too. Some pump water into Emerald Isle Woods Park, others store the water in ponds or pump to canals that empty into Bogue Sound.
Contact Brad Rich at 252-864-1532; email [email protected]; or follow on Twitter @brichccnt.
