Remembering Rusty Rozzelle, Protector of Mecklenburg County Waterways
If you’ve ever enjoyed a stream by a greenway, gone fishing in a local pond, or enjoyed a day on Lake Norman, you’ve been impacted by the work of Rusty Rozzelle.
For 45 years, Rozzelle worked to maintain water quality in Mecklenburg County, dedicating his life to improving local streams, creeks, lakes, and rivers. He passed away on Tuesday, May 13, at the age of 68.
Water was more than a vocation for Rozzelle — it was his entire life and legacy. Like the generations before him, Rozzelle was raised on the water. The Rozzelle family first settled in Mecklenburg County in the late 1780s, purchasing a farm along the banks of the Catawba River. In the early 1800s, the family began running a ferry across the Catawba River, a service that operated for approximately 120 years and which became the namesake of Rozzelle’s Ferry Road.
Rozzelle got his formal education at Paw Creek Elementary School, Coulwood Junior High School, and West Mecklenburg High School. The more informal learning happened on the shores of Mountain Island Lake, where he spent his free time hunting, fishing and hiking.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in earth science, he joined Mecklenburg County in 1980. After four years working in mosquito control, he joined the water quality team, where he would spend the rest of his career.
“I’m doing exactly what I thought I’d always do,” he said in a 2004 interview. “I grew up wanting to do something to protect the environment.”
His childhood dream turned into more than four decades dedicated to environmental advocacy and preservation. Rozzelle was an icon in the Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA), which houses water quality services under its Storm Water Services division. With his signature silver-grey hair and bushy mustache, Rozzelle was a steady, stable presence who led his team by example.
“He was an outstanding team member, mentor, confidant and servant leader, who exemplified dedication and commitment to the community,” said LUESA Director Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi. “He was a consummate professional who lived out his calling to protect our natural resources and his legacy will continue because of his great work.”
He played a major role in the Mecklenburg County Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program, which enhanced water quality in streams and lakes through initiatives like floodplain regulations and greenways. Some days were spent behind his desk, developing, adopting and implementing multiple protective ordinances. Other days, he was in his natural habitat, testing water in our creeks, streams, wells, and lakes, and making sure they were safe for all to enjoy.
Rozzelle not only knew water, but he knew people. He was an excellent collaborator, a skill that helped him to engage stakeholders on several major projects. He guided Mecklenburg County, the surrounding towns, Central Piedmont Community College and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in obtaining the first joint National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in the state, which provided consistent water quality protection throughout the County. In 2008, he helped stakeholders come to an agreement on the Post-Construction Stormwater Ordinance, which managed stormwater runoff after construction and included a provision to protect the Carolina heelsplitter, a federally endangered species of freshwater mussel.
“Rusty’s greatest strength and contribution to the community was his ability to bring groups (with oftentimes different goals/needs) together and lead them to consensus on initiatives that balance growth in the area with protection and preservation of water resources,” said Don Ceccarelli, Storm Water Services Division Director.
“He had recently considered retiring, and some would say that it was his passion for his work that made him reconsider this decision,” Ceccarelli added. “However, I am convinced it was, in great part, his love for his staff that changed his mind.”