Residents of Northeastern Terrace have joined a contingent of angry Oxford Heights residents demanding solutions to their flooding problems.

"We didn't ever get the kind of flooding we get now," said Johnnie Rowe, 50, who has lived on Darian Drive in Northeastern Terrace since 1985. "It's only going to get worse."

Rowe and longtime neighbor Garland Anderson, also of Darian Drive, believe nearby development at Summerfield subdivision and the new Winslow Memorial Home on U.S. Highway 17 South are largely to blame for an increase in stormwater runoff.

The runoff appears to come from the headwaters of Knobbs Creek into their backyards, which fills up and spills into lawns during heavy rainfalls.

Three months ago, more than 10 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto turned much of Northeastern Terrace into a lake, leaving behind mud, debris and snakes, Anderson said.

Then last week, a Northeaster storm dumped 4.5 inches of rain — much less than Ernesto — and swamp water flooded their yards, coming to within inches of their homes.

Like residents of Oxford Heights — another older subdivision — Northeastern Terrace residents believe that it takes less and less rain these days to cause flooding.

Local officials say other than making developers obey stormwater drainage regulations, there's little they can do.

"It's frustrating because we've been through all the necessary avenues," said Rowe.

Pasquotank County Manager Randy Keaton said he understands their concerns.

"I don't think there's a magic cure right now," Keaton said.

Northeastern Terrace is located near the headwaters of the Knobbs Creek watershed, which flow through the city, emptying into the Pasquotank River.

Keaton and City Manager Rich Olson agree part of the problem has been debris and sediment from storms and development have filled in much of the swampy watershed, leaving less natural area to absorb and carry drainage away.

State Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, said he and Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, were instrumental in channeling more than $2 million in funds for a debris snagging project, which just completed its third year.

"The state has stepped up to the plate," Owens said.

Assistant County Manager Rodney Bunch said the snagging and ditch-clearing project has helped.

Another problem identified by Bunch and Keaton is on Main Street Extended, where a bridge over Knobbs Creek was replaced several years ago by a road surface with drain pipes that acts as a dam during a heavy rainfall.

Pasquotank Commissioner Bill Trueblood, who serves on the county's water drainage committee, said the state Department of Transportation has agreed to send a hydrologist to the site next week to see if reinstalling a bridge will help improve flow from Knobbs Creek.

Also, the county is nearing completion of a large-scale stormwater study, Bunch said. The report, which should be finished by spring 2007, will identify drainage districts, runoff sources and solutions, Bunch said.

"It is anticipated that there will be much more emphasis placed on assuring there will be no more runoff after development than there was prior to development," Bunch said.

In the meantime, Trueblood asked that residents to be patient.

"What the public has to understand is we've had some uncommon rainfalls in the last year," Trueblood said. "It appears we've had several 100-year rain events in the past several months. I'm very sympathetic to their water concerns because what affects one affects all of us."