Goldsboro schedules June 15 public hearings on updated stormwater plan and local erosion controls

Goldsboro — City staff on June 1 outlined an updated Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) and a local erosion and sedimentation control ordinance and said both items will be the subject of public hearings on June 15.

Stormwater Administrator Bobby Barnes and staff said the SWMP updates align with current North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) requirements and are intended to keep the city in compliance with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. Barnes told council approval of the updated plan would renew Goldsboro’s MS4 permit for an additional five years effective July 1 and that the plan sets out programs and procedures tied to the six MS4 minimum control measures to protect water quality and reduce stormwater pollution.

Council and staff discussed how maintenance responsibilities are determined for ditches and conveyances. Staff said owners of private conveyances generally remain responsible for maintenance and that the city maintains conveyances located in public rights‑of‑way; staff acknowledged many “orphaned” or ambiguous conveyances exist and said resolving buried utilities and reclaiming conveyances will be a long, cooperative process with utility owners and property owners.

The erosion and sedimentation control ordinance locally adopts North Carolina standards and lowers the threshold for local plan review to 0.5 acres from the state’s 1‑acre threshold, increasing local oversight of construction runoff; staff said formal delegation approval from the state is expected in August with a projected local effective date of September 1.

Carl Martin, a resident who spoke during public comment earlier in the meeting, asked council to address flooding from a privately owned drainage ditch adjacent to his property and provided photos from May 26. Manager Livingston noted the timing of that public comment is relevant to the SWMP discussion and encouraged residents to submit concerns through the city’s 311 system or the new stormwater hotline so staff can determine ownership and next steps.

Both the SWMP and the erosion ordinance will return on June 15 with public hearings; council requested staff provide a short slide set in advance so residents can more easily understand the proposals and where responsibilities lie.

Next steps: public hearings on both items are scheduled for the June 15 council meeting; delegation approval for the erosion ordinance is expected from the state SEC commission in August.

“We want to make sure we’re explaining it to the public so they know what they’re reading,” Mayor Gayler said when asking staff for clearer materials ahead of the hearings.