Riverkeeper: Central North Carolina Flooding Part of a Much Larger Issue

An aerial view of Durham shows widespread flooding on July 6. Heavy rain brought even more flooding later the same week. Image credit: News & Observer

Tropical Storm Chantal, and the downpour that swamped the upper Neuse and Haw River basins on July 6, was a symptom of much larger problems: climate change and global warming.

“This is what global warming looks like: more frequent and severe rainstorms, leading to more challenging flood events,” said Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop. “Floods challenge our stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, making it more likely that our waterways and other resources are being polluted. For example, Hillsborough experienced several sewage spills due to being inundated from Sunday’s heavy rains.”

Five to 8 inches of rain delivered by the first tropical storm to make U.S. landfall this hurricane season. With it, came record-breaking flooding: water levels on the Eno River crested at 25 feet — higher than the Eno saw during Hurricane Fran more than 29 years ago — while the Haw River crested at 32 feet. The Eno River is a tributary of Falls Lake in the Neuse watershed.

On Wednesday, more heavy rain — this time unaffiliated with a tropical system — delivered more urban flooding in Durham and surrounding areas.

The sign reads: “The Eno River rose to the level of this sign post during Hurricane Fran on.” The rest of the sign is underwater due to Tropical Storm Chantal flooding. Image credit: North Carolina Weather Authority

Some responsibility for Chantal’s historic flooding in central N.C. can be attributed to land use in urban areas. Fifty percent of rain falling on land with natural ground cover soaks into the ground; 40% of it evaporates or is taken in by plants; and 10% becomes stormwater runoff. When rain falls on areas with 75% or more impervious surface such as pavement, parking lots and rooftops, 30% is evaporated or taken up by water from plants; only 15% soaks into the ground; and 55% becomes stormwater runoff.

“We can mitigate flooding by protecting our forests and wetlands, which act as nature’s sponges,” Samantha said. “We can also build with less pavement — the more pavement we lay on the ground, the less the landscape can absorb stormwater. When it can’t be absorbed, stormwater flows into our creeks, overtops our riverbanks and floods our homes and communities.”

In response to Sunday’s flooding, Riverkeeper organization Haw River Assembly is doing well-water testing for those impacted by Tropical Storm Chantal. Free E. coli testing kits are being handed out at multiple locations this week: Thursday, July 10, 1:30 – 6 p.m., at Steel String Brewery (Alamance County) and Duke Campus Farm (Orange County); Friday, July 11, 1:30 – 5:45 p.m. at Chatham County Public Library (Pittsboro).

Samantha said Sound Rivers’ Riverkeeping team made a donation from the Water Quality Fund to support the well-testing. She has confirmed that currently no government agency is doing free well-testing in Durham.

To learn more about how global warming-driven climate change affects weather and water quality (as we’ve already seen with Tropical Storm Chantal and the West Texas flooding tragedy), listen to Sound Rivers’ podcast “Storm Warning.”

Would you like to donate to Sound Rivers’ Water Quality Fund? We’d love your help!

This article was first published by Sound Rivers.