Durham’s New Sinkhole: It’s Past time for a Joint City County Watershed Improvement Committee

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Below is a photo of the Sinkhole at Roxboro and I-85 in Durham, NC— the first of many as the detrimental effects of Durham's historically unsustainable stormwater management materialize.

We can't just keep piping our stormwater (or forcing citizens to do so).

In 2014, Durham's city-county Environmental Affairs Board considered forming a Joint City County Watershed Improvement Committee, to provide a holistic plan for *sustainable* stormwater management that will benefit all citizens in the long run.

Though NC State law allows for this, Durham's Stormwater Services has been adamantly against it for years (despite the stormwater fees they are sitting on).

It’s time to try again.

Without a truly holistic plan, our piece-meal approach to sustainable stormwater management is just a drop in the bucket.

More articles regarding Durham’s lack of holistic sustainable stormwater management:

See https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2018/05/why-the-white-house-lawn-sinkhole-isnt-funny, for more info about sinkholes and how traditional stormwater management practices exacerbate the problem.

Here’s an article detailing Durham’s typical protocol for dealing with (not!) communal stormwater on private properties: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2022/05/homeowners-hung-out-to-dry-melissa-rooney.

And here’s an article detailing how the City of Durham actually inhibits sustainable stormwater management, trying to force property owners to (expensively) pipe the stormwater instead: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2018/08/city-of-durham-avoids-municipal-stormwater-responsibilities-while-inhibiting-affordable-and-sustainable-private-solutions.

Support for a Joint City County Watershed Improvement Committee (WIC) from Durham officials/staff:

Here’s what then Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Danielle Adams said about the need for a Joint City County Watershed Improvement Committee in 2016: https://indyweek.com/news/elections-news/danielle-adams-durham-county-soil-water-supervisor/ .

And here’s a 2014 press release from City of Durham Public Works Director Marvin Williams' comments regarding formation of a Joint Watershed Committee: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/625c6658449f89124f58bb78/t/6870127ff092357f7714de31/1752175231586/MarvinWilliams_JointWatershedCommittee_Press_Release_2014.pdf.

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