[Durham INC] Jordan Lake Rules impact on City

[Pat Carstensen]

The rules are not crazy.  We didn't put the lake we are going to be drinking out of in the smartest place (duh, like it was smart to put our drinking water downstream from a big urban area and with full knowledge that the hydrology would make it flush "stuff" downstream really slowly), but it's not like we have a lot of choices on where to get more water.  We already have extensive eutrophication (fancy science word for getting scummy) of the lake.  How many days were we from trucking in bottled water 2 summers ago?I know the three water suppliers in our area have done more than their share at cleaning up the wastewater and the cost-effective answer is rely more on better management of urban run-off (not just less fertilizer, but more rain gardens and Magnum terraces, no black plastic in your "natural" area, etc.), but it's really hard to hold anyone accountable for getting that done and if no-one is accountable, we all know that not much gets done.Another aspect is getting better rules into the UDO so we quit digging ourselves deeper and deeper into this hole.Finally, who is really trying to weasel out of their share of the cleaning up the mess they are making in Jordan Lake are the cities upstream on the Haw River (Greensboro, etc), and if we let ourselves off the hook, they continue to do a lot less on their wastewater than we do.Regards, patFrom: Ken at KenGasch.comTo: inc-list at rtpnet.orgDate: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:49:26 -0500Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Jordan Lake Rules impact on City


Jordan Lake Rules impact on City



I 
agree.  These rules are crazy.  
 
That said, it 
seems to me like part of the solution is for folks to stop obsessing about their 
yards and stop dumping tons fertilizer on them. 
 
I refuse to 
water my lawn.  I see it as wasteful.  I also refuse to fertilize my 
yard.  
 
As far as my 
yard is concerned, I believe in survival of the fittest.  If whatever 
greenery is growing in my yard can't grow naturally, then I want it to 
die.  Die!
 
A few months 
back, my wife handed me a New Yorker that had an article about how bizarre 
America's obsession with lush green turf actually is.  It talked about the 
wasted water.  It talked about the harmful effects of run-off.  The 
article went on to describe what is called a "freedom lawn."  These lawn 
are comprised of whatever will grow.  I was being trendy without even 
knowing it.  
 
Ken 
Gasch
 

  -----Original Message-----From: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org 
  [mailto:inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org]On Behalf Of Westbrook, 
  VickiSent: Friday, January 30, 2009 5:46 PMTo: 
  inc-list at rtpnet.orgSubject: [Durham INC] Jordan Lake Rules impact 
  on City
  Could you 
  please post the following regarding the NC Bill to Disapprove 
  Jordan Nutrient Strategy Rules?
  
  We would 
  encourage Durham citizens to carefully investigate 
  all impacts on our community before taking a position 
  on the Jordan Lake Nutrient Management Rules.  We in City government 
  take our roles as responsible environmentalists quite 
  seriously and there are other City and County leaders (also environmentalists) who oppose portions of these Rules, those portions 
  that 
  are viewed as unnecessary, unfair, and not based on good 
  science.  The "existing development" rule will lead to huge stormwater 
  rate increases of hundreds of dollars in Durham that will hit average citizens 
  very hard.  Durham's leaders have carefully evaluated these Rules and are 
  supporting some of the rules 
  but rejecting others.  For example, restrictions on new 
  development (the most expensive in the state) are supported - but rules that could 
  require citizens to fund hundreds of millions of dollars of stormwater 
  treatment devices for existing, older development are being 
  rejected. We also support moving the implementation date for the rules that 
  impact wastewater discharges by two years so that adequate optimization and 
  design work can be done; with construction completed by 
  the initially agreed upon date of 
  2016.   It is important to not have a knee-jerk reaction to 
  these rules.  All of us care about Durham and want 
  to improve downtown and attract good development without imposing 
  extremely burdensome stormwater and wastewater 
  utility fees on our citizens.
  
  Vicki Westbrook, Deputy Director
  Administration & Operations
  City of Durham, Dept. of Water Management
  101 City Hall Plaza
  Phone:  (919) 560-4381, x 266
  FAX:     (919) 560-4479
   
  There are a number of ways to save water, and they all 
  start with you.     Water - Use it Wisely!
  
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