City-Wide Watershed Studies

Purpose

With the recent hurricanes and growing number of critical projects, the City of Fayetteville (City) has identified a need to establish a long-term, foundational system that can be utilized to identify critical watershed projects.   This foundational watershed system will address existing problems as well as prepare for future challenges by integrating current and long-range growth and development plans.

History

The City’s stormwater program and utility was initiated in 1995 to comply with the Clean Water Act to manage pollution in stormwater runoff and improve water quality.  This program was tied directly to water quality requirements until 2007, when the Council increased the stormwater fee recognizing the need for new and retrofitted drainage infrastructure to solve issues with local flooding and to make system repairs.  An active capital improvement program was developed at that time.

Initially, capital improvements were driven by citizen complaints and observations of flooded areas noted by City staff.  Over time, the City started conducting watershed studies to look at large sections of the City and identify problems on a system-wide basis.  Projects have been developed from these watershed studies and incorporated into the CIP list, along with those identified from complaints.  The CIP development process is not, however, based on a comprehensive analytical understanding of the City’s stormwater needs as not all watersheds in the City have been studied.  Council directed staff to research options for utilizing contracted resources to more aggressively develop and implement stormwater improvements.

Council directed staff in early 2017 to pursue the development and implementation of a City-wide watershed masterplan.  The fiscal year 2019 budget included an increase in the stormwater fee in order to fund completion of a City-wide stormwater masterplan, to include identification, prioritization, management and completion of multiple watershed studies and staff expansion to support the program. 

More Than Just Studies

The City is spending approximately $10 million over a relatively short period to protect residents, businesses and property by creating a forward thinking, long-term watershed master plan. Developing this master plan displays a significant commitment, involving considerable effort that can be categorized into these core interconnected components:

• A high-level citywide modeling effort to identify the most flood-prone areas
• Detailed hydrologic and hydraulic studies and alternatives analysis of those flood-prone areas
• A sophisticated new database that will make it easier to track infrastructure needs and fix specific problems
• Studies identifying capital improvement projects that will address the highest-priority needs
• USGS Stream and Precipitation Gages

The City’s watershed master plan offers a leading example of how a community can harness its determination and resources to protect residents and property. 

Team Members

• Sponsor
  • City Manager
• Program Director
  • City’s Stormwater Department
• Program Manager
  • Freese and Nichols, Inc.
• Selected Consultants for Watershed Studies
  • Arcadis G&M of North Carolina, Inc.
  • Gradient, PLLC
  • Hazen and Sawyer
  • Kimley-Horn
• Key City Stakeholders
  • Fayetteville City Council, Stormwater Advisory Board (SWAB)
  • Fayetteville Mayor’s Stormwater City Council Committee (MS3C)
  • Various City Departments
    • Public Services
    • Community and Economic Development
    • Development Services
    • Fire
    • Information Technology
    • Parks and Recreation
    • Police
  • Fayetteville Public Works Commission
  • North Carolina Department of Transportation

Publications and Presentations

• Current
  • North Carolina Association of Floodplain Managers (NCAFPM) FlashFlood News article (pp. 6-8)

Awards

• American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina
  • Engineering Excellence Award

Contacts

• City: Stormwater Program Manager: 910-433-1656