INC NEWS - Hearings on Jordan Lake Rules

[pat carstensen]

Jordan Lake nutrient rules – proposed. Finally. The draft Jordan Lake 
nutrient control rules are out for public comment. Three public hearings 
will be held as follows:

Carrboro - July 12, 2007, 6:30 p.m. at Century Hall at Century Center, 100 
N. Greensboro Street, Carrboro, NC 27510.

Elon - July 17, 2007, 1:30-4:00 p.m. at Koury Business Center at Elon 
University, 271 North Williamson Avenue, Elon, NC 27244.

Elon - July 17, 2007, 6:30 p.m. at Koury Business Center at Elon University, 
271 North Williamson Avenue, Elon, NC 27244.

I think you can get the official announcement and report here:
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/pubinfo/DWQPubInfoCalendar.htm

Comments can be submitted to Rich Gannon or Jason Robinson, DENR/ Division 
of Water Quality, Planning Section, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 
27699-1617, phone (919) 733-5083 extension 356 or 537, fax (919) 715-5637. 
The comment period ends August 14, 2007.



The text in the NC Register includes a good background: “B. Everett Jordan 
Reservoir in the upper Cape Fear River Basin serves as a drinking water 
source for the growing cities of Apex, Cary, Durham, Morrisville, RTP, and 
Chatham County. In addition, the reservoir serves as a popular primary 
contact recreational resource and as aquatic habitat for a variety of 
wildlife. Since its impoundment in 1983, the reservoir has consistently 
shown substantial nutrient over-enrichment. That same year, the NC 
Environmental Management Commission designated it a 'Nutrient Sensitive 
Water', requiring development of a nutrient control strategy. Initial 
requirements reduced phosphorus concentrations in watershed wastewater 
discharges. Despite these measures, in 2002 the Division of Water Quality 
determined that the Upper New Hope Creek Arm of the reservoir no longer met 
its designated uses due to excess nutrient inputs. The Division made the 
same determination for the rest of the reservoir in 2006. The Commission is 
responsible for protecting and restoring water quality in North Carolina, 
and has determined that additional nutrient management actions are needed to 
recover the uses of Jordan Reservoir. In addition, the sweeping Clean Water 
Responsibility Act of 1997, adopted by the NC General Assembly as S.L. 
1997-458, included requirements to address water quality problems in 
Nutrient Sensitive Waters including Jordan Reservoir. It mandated stricter 
nutrient concentration limits for point source discharges to these waters, 
and it directed the Commission to establish goals for reducing overall 
nutrient inputs and to ensure that point and nonpoint sources share 
proportionally in responsibility for reducing inputs. In addition to state 
legislative requirements, the reservoir's impaired status invokes federal 
Clean Water Act requirements to develop and implement nutrient leading 
reduction goals for the reservoir in the form of a 'total maximum daily 
load' (TMDL).”

Regards, pat

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