Agenda - 02-15-2011 - 7c - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT The Path Forward: Making the Upper Neuse River Basin Association Effective in the Era of the Falls Lake Rules January 28, 2011 The Upper Neuse River BasirrAssociation (UNRBA) has existed since 1446 to provide an ongoing forum for cooperation on water quality protection and water resources planning and management..UNRBA has participated in multiple state and regional forums on behalf of the member governments. UNRBA staff has provided UNRBA Member Governments technical assistance to member governments on ordinances, low-impact development practices, lake management, and other areas supporting water quality and quantity. Now that the Falls Lake Nutrient Management Rules (Falls Lake Rules) are in effect, there are many new needs that UNRBA can and should serve. Overall, the UNRBA needs to move from a Planning, Coordination, Partnering role, to a more active role Town of Butner Town of Creedmoor City of Durham Durham County Franklin County Granville County Town of Hillsborough Orange County Person County City of Raleigh Town of Stem Wake County Town of Wake Forest South Granville Water and Sewer Authority including water quality monitoring and assessment, training, and providing a forum for mitigation credits and pollution trading, and offering new technical assistance, while continuing to provide past services to member governments. The Falls Lake Rules were adopted by the NC Environmental Management Commission on November 18, 2010. The rules became effective on January 15, 2010. These rules include requirements for newly developing lands, lands that are currently developed (i.e., existing development), agriculture, and wastewater. The state estimates that the cost of the Falls Lake Rules will be approximately $1.3 billion dollars over the next 30 years. Some individual.communities assert that the costs are higher than the state has estimated. Regardless of which figure is ultimately accurate, it is clear that the cost of these rules will be a large burden on the residents and businesses of the watershed draining to Falls Lake. In light of these daunting responsibilities, there are several items that UNRRA member governments can collaborate an to make the implementation of these rules as cost effective as possible. Some of these items were identified in the Consensus Principles that were adopted by most of the UNRRA member governments. Future UNRBA Direction `,__ fun _sdictlon_size and:epstl~ rams_ -- A r~examina4on at the= nutrienk , _ management strategy That answers key questions about the impacts of reductions ~ ` grid the. fea9ibirity _of Skage U'.; [Consensus;`: ~_Pangples~lSA NCAC 028.02750] 16 Clearly, there are many needs for the UNRRA. However, the most time-sensitive need is associated with the re-examination of the nutrient management strategy. The Consensus Principles outlined a clear set of goals for a re-examination of the strategy. Legislation requires the NC DWQ to collaborate.with local