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Attachment 3 <br /> <br /> <br />Environmental Impacts of Rural Buffer <br />In 1987, the governments of Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro adopted a land <br />use plan that created a rural buffer around the two cities. The rural buffer limits <br />development to maintain the area’s rural character. Due in part to a growing population, <br />pressure to modify the rural buffer has grown in recent years. However, the buffer’s <br />environmental impacts and potential benefits such as improved surface water quality <br />are largely unquantified. In conjunction with the Orange County Commission for the <br />Environment and county staff, the student would design and implement a study of one <br />or more environmental impacts of the rural buffer, such as water quality, biodiversity, or <br />environmental justice. <br /> <br />