Stormwater Engineering and Consulting Services

Engineering and consulting services are requested to assist the County in improving water quality and maintaining compliance with NPDES permit requirements as well as any other federal, state, and local regulations related to stormwater management.

Beaufort County has a long history of addressing stormwater management and water quality issues including the creation of the Clean Water Task Force in 1996, the development of the Stormwater Management Plan of 2006, and becoming a regulated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) under the Phase II NPDES permit in 2015. Beaufort County has unique hydrological characteristics that make water quality management challenging. However, these same characteristics (i.e. uplands, freshwater wetlands, tidal creeks and rivers, marshes, estuaries, shellfish beds, harbors, and the Atlantic Ocean), are what make water quality so important to the County and the municipalities within it. One of the biggest water quality concerns for the County is bacteria levels in the receiving waterbodies. Excessive levels of bacteria can result in shellfish harvesting closures, as well as illness and infections through recreational contact. In addition to these health concerns, as a regulated MS4, Beaufort County must comply with regulations to ensure that stormwater runoff, erosion and sediment control, and water quality meet federal and state requirements. The County seeks qualifications from consultants to provide various stormwater management engineering services related to NPDES permit compliance and the Beaufort County stormwater management strategy.