Public School Programs Kinston Public Services staff offers technical assistance to teachers and school officials, resource materials for classrooms and students, as well as school presentations for K-12. We visit not only schools within the City of Kinston but any school within Lenoir County with a variety of programs. Programs are also given for after school groups. We involve students in water quality and stream ecology projects and presentations, NC Big Sweep and other litter cleanups. Through the use of the EnviroScape, a hands on watershed model, students and teachers review best management practices to prevent pollution, like maintaining buffers along streams, using other erosion control measures, taking thoughtful care of yards and homes, and picking up after pets. For more information about Kinston Public Services being involved in your school, please contact Ruth Tanner at (252)939-3283 or by email.


NC Big Sweep NC Big Sweep is a non-profit organization that conducts year-round education to prevent litter. Each fall, it sponsors North Carolina’s "Big Sweep", the North Carolina component of the International Coastal Cleanup--an event in which volunteers from all 100 counties in the State and approximately 90 countries worldwide remove litter from their respective watersheds. The City of Kinston’s Public Services Department has been coordinating NC Big Sweep activities for Lenoir County since 2000. On Saturday, October 3, 2009, 23 volunteers meet out at Bill Faye Park to participate inthe 2009 N.C. Big Sweep here in Lenoir County. Thirty-one (31) bags of trash were picked up to equal approximately 620 pounds. In addition, there were 5 tires and one washing machine picked up and an estimated 3 miles were cleared. Litter not only looks bad, but some items pose hazards for pedestrians, traffic, and wildlife. Litter also washes from land into creeks, or from streets through storm drains to creeks. There, it can concentrate sediment build up and may add nutrients, toxins or heavy metals to the water and its sediments. It may dam creeks that should be free-flowing. Litter, like six-pack rings, rope, nets and fishing line, can entangle animals and lead to their deaths. Some litter may be toxic to animals that try to eat it. Cigarette butts, which concentrate more than 165 toxins in their cellulose acetate (plastic) filters, are shown to be extremely toxic to small water organisms, and are suspected toxins when birds use them in nest building. They, as well as other items like balloons, have been found in the stomachs of dead or ill fish, birds, and marine creatures that mistake the litter as food. Groups may volunteer to help remove litter from our community year-round by contacting Ruth Tanner at (252) 939-3283 for supplies and maps. High school volunteers may count the event towards their community service hours required for graduation. For more information about participating in NC Big Sweep events, please contact Ruth Tanner, Kinston Public Services Public Services Analyst at (252)939-3283 or by email.


Stormwater Management Stormwater management includes involving all residents and property owners in Kinston in learning about our local water resources, how we affect water quality and flooding potential, and what we can do to minimize pollution and damage. We participate in local festivals and fairs with our education booth, make classroom presentations, give presentations to community organizations; welcome volunteers in our community and stream clean ups, and bring awareness to water quality issues through the City’s media cable channel. If you are interested in presentations or other aspects of this program, please contact Ruth Tanner at (252)939-3283 or by email.


Stormwater Projects Kinston Public Services is constantly working to improve the City. One way is through it’s stormwater projects. Stormwater projects are projects that include drainage pipe repair and replacement, ditch maintenance, curb and gutter repair, street sweeping and storm drain cleaning. Stormwater projects are funded through stormwater revenue collected through a stormwater utility fee. The City of Kinston established a stormwater utility in July, 2007, to provide a stable and adequate revenue source for the City of Kinston’s stormwater management program. The intent of the stormwater utility fee is that all "users", being those who receive benefits from the management of stormwater, pay a portion of the cost of the program relative to the amount of benefit they receive from the program and relative to the impact their property location has on the stormwater system. As the proper management of stormwater in the City will reduce flooding on public streets, will reduce harmful pollutants entering our streams and rivers and reduce the negative impacts of these problems on our local economy, including tourism, recreation, economic development, residential growth, and the general conception of Kinston as an attractive place to live, visit and do business, all local properties receive benefits of some degree.