City of Charlotte, NC / Services

The City of Charlotte is honored to be recognized by the Water Environment Federation for improving and protecting our waterways. Being recognized as a high performing program with the overall highest score for large municipalities is an honor and we're especially proud to be recognized as a leader in innovation and project management.

So great cities require great infrastructure. The City of Charlotte is growing rapidly and so to support that growth, we both got to keep up with our existing infrastructure, but also make sure that the water we're sending back to our streams is as clean as it can be.

With more than 850,000 residents and about 2000 miles of streams. Our stormwater program is critical to protecting the environment and sustaining the quality of life we enjoy in Charlotte. We have the largest municipal stream and wetland mitigation bank in North Carolina. Starting in 2004. This bank has funded and restored over 17 miles of streams.
The Reedy Creek Stream restoration project was partially funded through this bank. Using a progressive design build approach with a single contractor for design and construction, surface water quality and habitat or improved along 40,000 feet of stream. We're also using an innovative approach with stormwater control measures. For over 20 years we've installed and monitored more than 40 of these pollution control devices to determine which work best locally. Those found to be effective may be installed by developers when required.

We are working to transform urbanized creeks into healthy stream ecosystems. At the Chantilly ecological sanctuary at Briar Creek, we partnered with Mecklenburg County to restore over 4500 feet of streams with features like curves to slow the flow of water riffles to add oxygen for fish and rocks and logs to provide habitat. But that's not all. We installed a wet pond and constructed wetlands to remove pollutants and reduce flood risks.

We have one of the most comprehensive local stream monitoring programs in the country. The data is used to find pollution sources determine stream and aquatic health and monitor trends. The overall goal of collecting and analyzing so much data is to help make science based decisions and determine where to focus limited resources. In May of 2020, Charlotte City Council enhanced protections for waterways passing revisions to the city's stormwater pollution control ordinance to prohibit the use of pavement sealants with high amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are harmful to fish and aquatic life.

Additional revisions increase the maximum daily fine for illegal pollutant discharges. Our outreach and engagement efforts reach hundreds of thousands of people each year, you might find residents taking selfies with Stormy the turtle stopping to read our scoop the poop flags, commenting on our social media posts about reporting pollution or listening to our messages on the six o'clock news. We're proud of our great work we're doing but the fact remains that many of our surface waters are impaired so there's more work to be done.

We also know that we can't do this alone, and we haven't done it alone. To be successful we must continue to work with other city departments, our county colleagues and our residents. By leveraging the resources of our local and regional partners, we can achieve our goal of restoring our surface waters for our residents and for generations to come.

Learn more at https://charlottenc.gov/StormWater

To learn more about the City's American's with Disabilities Act Transition Plan and how you can get involved, please visit CharlotteNC.gov/ADA.

Watch what goes into cleaning up after a large-scale event in Charlotte. The Solid Waste Services' Special Services Division works overnight to make the magic happen. (A full transcript is available below.)


“When we get that feedback, ‘You guys done a great job,’ you know, that’s a big bonus for everybody,” says Solid Waste Services crew member Bobby Barrino.
“Right now, we’re at Fourth and Tryon doing the final cleanup, not the final cleanup, but the end-of-night cleanup for Pride Fest 2019,” says David Poindexter.
“Tonight, I got about 17; 17 people on the ground either dumping trash, blowing off the sidewalk with the backpack leaf blowers, street sweeping, litter control.”
Let’s break it down by the numbers.
Solid Waste Services cleans up after big events like Panthers games, parades and festivals.
That includes more than 50 events a year.
Each event produces nearly 20,000 pounds of trash.
And the City of Charlotte is here to clean it up.
“The end game for tonight is to make it look like nobody was even here today.”
“I’ve picked up pocketbooks, shoes, money … a lot of stuff. That’s all I can say. A lot of stuff.”
“I put it this way, it’s like watching a movie that you’ve seen many times. And every time you see the movie you see something different that you didn’t see before. And that’s more or less what it’s like working down here,” says Solid Waste Services crew member Vincent Maxwell.
“What we do is very important in my eyes.”
“We come in as a team, we get the job done as a team, and go home as a team.”

City of Charlotte
600 E. Fourth St.
Charlotte, N.C. 28202
704-336-7600
www.charlottenc.gov

With more than 2,500 miles of roads to maintain, nine Charlotte Department of Transportation crew members are on call every night. A full transcript is available below.

It’s a tough job.
But someone’s got to do it.
Leave the hard work to the.
You can find Charlotte Department of Transportation crews filling potholes any time of day.
“This job is around the clock. 24/7, 365 days a year.” Jason Bell, Labor Crew Chief II
Their work never ends.
CDOT repaired about 1,500 potholes in 2018 alone.
They expect to fill even more in 2019.
“It feels good to know that you’ve played a part in actually doing something good for the city. You know, it’s a really good feeling.” Weylyn Ivey, CDOT Crew Member
With more than 2,500 miles of roads to maintain, nine CDOT crew members are on call every night.
Their goal is to investigate and repair any potholes that create a safety hazard within 24 hours.
CDOT says their hard work pays off.
“You got a person that might have a very expensive vehicle and really loves their vehicle. They hit that pothole or they spill that coffee on themselves early in the morning. You know, maybe you helped avoid that.” Jason Bell, Labor Crew Chief II
If you’d like to report a pothole, contact 311.
Team Charlotte has you covered.


City of Charlotte
600 E. Fourth St.
Charlotte, N.C. 28202
704-336-7600
www.charlottenc.gov

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City of Charlotte Assistant City Arborist Laurie Reid Dukes explains why people should band their trees to protect against the cankerworm.

More tips and recommendations here - https://charlottenc.gov/Engineering/LandscapeManagement/Trees/Pages/Cankerworm.aspx

Assistant City Arborist Laurie Reid Dukes explains how to band a tree to protect against cankerworms.

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Maintaining your property is part of being a homeowner. It's also why guidelines and ordinances are put in place.
For information about Code Enforcement and Neighborhood & Business Services, go to http://charlottenc.gov

See how CATS and two local artists transform a Blue Line Station into a work of art that captures the essence of one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

Learn about the different programs and events citizens and businesses can participate in to maintain and improve the cleanliness of Charlotte.

For more information:
http://kcb.charmeck.org

Starting July 6, the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will no longer collect recyclables from red bins or other non-City issued containers.

On November 11, 2014, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County accepted The Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran’s Homelessness issued by First Lady Michelle Obama and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Hear how this initiative has changed the life of one of our nation's veterans.

City of Charlotte Holiday Trash Tips

CLT opens a new hourly deck just in time for the holiday travel rush. Plus, important travel tips you don’t want to miss.

For more information on CLT: http://cltairport.com
For more information on Charlotte City Government: http://charlottenc.gov

If you only have 30 seconds, watch this view to open your mind and break the stigma of mental health issues! Take the pledge to break stigma at http://www.mhacentralcarolinas.org/

Get ready to hop on the light rail extension that will take you to Charlotte's University City. CATS is moving forward with the construction of the 1.16 billion dollar LYNX Blue Line Extension. This 9.3 mile extension adds 11 stations and four park and rides to the current LYNX Blue Line. It connects you to jobs, education, entertainment opportunities and more. It's scheduled to open in 2017.
For more info:
http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Pages/default.aspx
https://twitter.com/CATSRideTransit
https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteAreaTransitSystem

Get ready to hop on the light rail extension that will take you to Charlotte's University City. CATS is moving forward with the construction of the 1.16 billion dollar LYNX Blue Line Extension. This 9.3 mile extension adds 11 stations and four park and rides to the current LYNX Blue Line. It connects you to jobs, education, entertainment opportunities and more. It's scheduled to open in 2017.
For more info:
http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Pages/default.aspx
https://twitter.com/CATSRideTransit
https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteAreaTransitSystem

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department confirmed an intentional illegal dumping of toxic waste (including trichlorobenzene and PCBs) into the sewer system that impacted the Mallard Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on U.S. 29 North.

Full news release: http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/Newsroom/newsarchive/Pages/Illegal-dumping-and-impact-statement.aspx

Tim the Tree Guy takes us on a journey inside the life of a tree. Do they really have feelings? See why finding the right spot to put your roots down is so important for all of us!

http://treescharlotte.org/
http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/Pages/default.aspx
http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/govchannel/Pages/default.aspx

TreesCharlotte was created as a public/private collaborative dedicated to planting 15,000 trees annually, primarily through volunteer efforts. The collaborative also educates Charlotte's residents on the importance of the canopy and ways to plant and preserve trees. Among the myriad benefits, trees clean our air, ease storm water run-off, reduce our energy usage, cool our streets, parks, and homes, and provide natural beauty that is the envy of cities across the world.

In recognition of the canopy's importance, the Charlotte City Council recently adopted a bold tree canopy coverage goal of 50% by 2050. Achieving this goal calls for planting 500,000 trees over the coming decades.

People in Charlotte "Recycle It". Check it out.

For more info:
http://recycleit.charlottenc.gov

AH-Choo! Take these easy steps to keep your nose clear during lawn season.

Find out how a clear sidewalk is a safe sidewalk. http://sidewalksafety.charlottenc.gov/

Tree banding stops the dreaded cankerworm in its tracks. Learn how you can help.

You probably don't give Charlotte's streets much thought, till you hit a pothole or rough patch. Luckily, CDOT's Street Maintenance Division is around to take care of problems like those for us.
You can find out which streets are currently on the resurfacing list, as well as much more about the Charlotte Department of Transportation at charlotte nc dot gov.