To: NC Department of Environmental Quality Adriene Weaver (Adriene.Weaver@NCDEQ.

com)

From: Isak Terzic (Intern)

Subject: How we can reduce water pollution in our state by tackleing the problems of run-off water
pollution

Hello Ms. Weaver,

My group and I have come to a reason and solution for the pollution in the wetlands of the
piedmont region. Our research led us to find that runoff was causing high levels of water pollution. This
has been causing severe damage to the states many wetlands and estuaries, and has become a real
problem for the surrounding ecosystems as well. Luckily there are a few solutions we can implement to
solve this problem and we have prepared some solutions to discuss with you.

Solutions Formatted: Font: 11 pt

The first possible solution is to focus on storm water runoff, and this approach would have silt Fences
properly installed around all areas of risk. This will prevent and limit soil erosion near the water and act as
a faux filter for the runoff water, preventing harmful chemicals and excess dirt entering the water system.

Second, a more direct approach to filtering the runoff could be taken, where storm drains and other
systems use new technology to filter out any physical pollution, while the water could be tested for
chemicals and pesticides. This protects the water sources from storm runoff and provides a great solution
towards reducing chemicals in the water. This approach is much more difficult however as more
installation is required and upkeep.

Our Choice for the Solution

We discussed both solutions and we felt that the first solution would be the most cost effective strategy.
With a simple implementation strategy we can have the silt fences installed and running in a few months.
The main problem we see with this strategy is the lack of protection it provides against chemicals in the
water, but our solution to that would be to inform local farmers and homeowners about the alternatives to
pesticides and how to time the use of them.

We appreciate you taking the time to look into this and would like to work with you in the future to help
protect our water sources.

Sincerely,

Isak Terzic

Isak.terzic@NCDEQ.com