In July 2012, Person County adopted the first component of the Falls Rules, which are intended to improve water quality in Falls Lake. The Environmental Protection Agency and State have identified Falls Lake as being an impaired waterbody (Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list), relative to its intended use as a drinking water supply, due to nutrients being deposited by runoff (nutrient loading). This runoff comes from the Falls Watershed, which includes the southern part of Person County. A map of the Falls Watershed is available on the Person County website. As with other areas around the state and country facing water quality concerns, it has become the responsibility of local governments to reduce nutrient loading. Instead of waiting on the federal government to impose one-size-fits-all clean up requirements upon the areas that drain to the lake, the Falls Watershed jurisdictions, stakeholders, and state regulators worked together to formulate our own strategy. The jurisdictions have been working with one another and the state for the last five years to negotiate the most favorable rules possible, which were then made effective by the NC Rules Review Commission on January 15, 2011. The rules affect new and existing development, agricultural, sewer, and septic treatment and discharge throughout the watershed. The proposed timeline should have the Lower Falls Lake in compliance within 10 years and the entire Lake in compliance within 20 years. The Falls Rules are very stringent, but they are a better alternative to the federally-imposed plan, called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

Stormwater Fees
Mitigating the impact of stormwater runoff is costly. Person County has decided to assess stormwater fees to pay for stormwater costs. All landowners (even owners of tax-exempt and government properties) are subject to the fee. The table to the right shows the stormwater fee structure.

Stormwater Fees
Outside of Falls Lake Watershed
Single Family Residential
< 2 acres	$6 annual fee
2 to < 10 acres	$8 annual fee
10 to < 100 acres	$10 annual fee
100 acres or more	$12 annual fee
Non-single Family Residential
<2 acres	$4 annual fee + $2 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
2 to < 10 acres	$6 annual fee + $2 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
10 to < 100 acres	$8 annual fee  + $2 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
100 acres or more	$10 annual fee + $2 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
Inside of Falls Lake Watershed
Single Family Residential
< 2 acres	$16 annual fee
2 to < 10 acres	$22 annual fee
10 to < 100 acres	$28 annual fee
100 acres or more	$34 annual fee
Non-single Family Residential
< 2 acres	$8 annual fee + $8 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
2 to < 10 acres	$14 annual fee + $8 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
10 to < 100 acres	$20 annual fee  + $8 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area
100 acres or more	$26 annual fee + $8 per 4,300 sq ft of impervious area

The fee takes into account property features that contribute to stormwater runoff. One such feature is the total land area. Another is hard surfaces such as rooftops and driveways (known as impervious area) within the property. Finally, there are costs associated with the administration of services that are unrelated to the magnitude of property or hard surface area. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2014 (July 2013-June 2014), the stormwater fee will be included in the annual tax bill sent out by Person County in August. Though it’s included on the tax bill, the stormwater charge is a fee, not a tax. As is the case with tax bills, owners of multiple properties will receive a separate bill for each parcel they own.

Collection of this fee will help Person County ensure compliance with regulations imposed upon the jurisdiction by Federal law (Clean Water Act) and State law (SL 2005-190). These fees will pay for a number of stormwater-related activities, including floodplain management, water quality data collection, and regulatory compliance both inside and outside the Falls Lake watershed. Should you have any questions regarding the stormwater fee or the billing process, please contact the Person County stormwater hotline at (336) 322-6002.

Property owners will be eligible to receive credit on their stormwater bill by implementing various types of Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as grass swales and retention ponds. Applications for credits will be accepted until March 1, 2014 for next year’s bill and may be applied retroactively. Stormwater fees may be appealed within 30 days of the bill date. The credit application and appeal document are available on the Person County Planning Department webpage.

Permitting Process
Prior to disturbing land, contact either Person County Environmental Health (336-597-1790) or Planning and Zoning (336-597-1750). A surveyor, engineer and soil scientist may need to assist you in calculating your proposed disturbed and built upon area. All property owners inside the Falls Watershed will need to complete a stormwater application before they begin their projects. Property owners located inside the Falls Lake Watershed will pay a $15 stormwater application permit fee.

Residential projects that disturb more than a ½ acre and commercial projects that disturb more than 12,000 square feet will need to work with a stormwater professional to create a stormwater management plan. Stormwater mitigation techniques are also referred to as Best Management Practices (BMP’s) and may include swales, ponds or other methods of managing stormwater runoff. The county will collect a $1,000 deposit for non-single family projects before reviewing a property owner’s stormwater management plan and return any balance once the review is complete. Once the stormwater BMP’s are in place, the county will inspect them to ensure that they were installed correctly. The residential inspection fee is $50 and the commercial inspection fee is $100. In addition to the cost of implementing stormwater techniques, property owners must also pay to maintain their BMP’s to ensure that they function as designed. Property owners may have the option of purchasing mitigation credits from a State approved mitigation bank. A stormwater professional can advise property owners on the best options available to them as they proceed with their projects. Below are the fees for residential and non-residential projects:

 

Stormwater Application and Construction Fees
Stormwater plan review deposit (non-single family residential only)	$1,000
Residential stormwater construction inspection fee	$50
Commercial and subdivision stormwater construction inspection fee	$100
Stormwater permit fee (inside Falls Lake Watershed)	$15

For more information about stormwater fees and the permitting process, Person County will host a drop-in information session on July 24th. See below for meeting information.

Public Drop-In Information Session:
FEMA Room 3:00-7:00 pm
355 South Madison Blvd., Roxboro, NC 27573

Wednesday, July 24th

Please call the stormwater hotline at (336) 322-6002, if you have any questions.