Stormwater Ordinance Update to Meet New State Requirements

Stormwater pond at Knightdale Station Park

Prompted by new state permit requirements, the town held the required joint public hearing Wednesday evening (1/15/2026) for a zoning text amendment (ZTA). Ike Archer, Stormwater Program Manager, provided an excellent presentation on ZTA-2-25.

As Mayor Pro Tem Steve Evans alluded to in his introduction of this agenda item, the town has little to no discretion as to implementing this change to remain in compliance. However, Archer took the opportunity to review the broader context and importance of stormwater management before focusing on the specifics of ZTA-2-25.

Why Stormwater Matters

Stormwater is the runoff that flows across roads, rooftops, and other hard surfaces during rainstorms. Knightdale’s stormwater system is separate from the sanitary sewer, so this runoff is not treated before it reaches local creeks and streams. That makes pollution control a central focus of the town’s stormwater division.

Knightdale has operated as a Phase 2 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community since 2005. Our stormwater program centers on four priorities: reducing water pollution, preventing flooding, protecting water quality, and maintaining stormwater infrastructure.

How the Town Manages Stormwater

The stormwater division, housed within Public Works, is split into compliance and operations teams. The division’s responsibilities include public education, community involvement, construction oversight, post-construction stormwater management, and municipal good-housekeeping practices.

The NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) audited Knightdale’s MS4 permit compliance in 2023. Archer reported, ”We were successful and we received a compliant… …Only about 20% of MS4 municipalities in the state of North Carolina that got a compliant [result].”

A major component of the program is Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) – the process of identifying and addressing spills, dumping, or other discharges that don’t belong in the stormwater system.

Construction Waste a Key Focus

DEQ informed town staff during the audit that there will need to be more effort statewide to reduce construction related illegal discharges.

To address this, ZTA-2-25 proposes consolidating the town’s list of prohibited discharges and explicitly adding “development-related materials such as discarded building materials, concrete wash water, and sanitary waste from portable restrooms.”

Questions and Answers

In answering questions from the council and Land Use Review Board (LURB) members, Mr. Archer provided additional information.

Residents can report suspected illicit discharges through an online form on the town’s website, or the town’s stormwater hotline at (919) 217-2257. While the town has the authority to issue fines of up to $5,000 per day per violation, staff noted that developers typically correct issues quickly, making fines unnecessary so far.

The ordinance applies to sites both within town limits and those in Knightdale’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). Incidents outside town limits are typically referred to Wake County of the N.C Department of Environmental Quality.

Next Steps

The Town Council opened and closed the public hearing without comment and voted to refer ZTA 225 to the Land Use Review Board, which will review the amendment on February 9, 2026. A final decision by the Town Council is expected on February 18, 2026.

For additional Information:

Stormwater Management | Town of Knightdale, NC