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240 Falls Lake Initiative : Protecting Drinking Water through Land Conservation What- is the intiative ? The Falls Lake Initiative is a partnership effort to prioritize and protect through voluntary actions those lands most critical for the long-term safety and health of all water supplies for communities in the Upper Neuse River Basin . The project will prioritize lands that meet both water supply protection goals and local land conservation goals , such as recreation and natural lands protection . The Initiative is comprised of three major components : comprehensive conservation planning; expanded outreach to landowners , local governments , and the public ; and voluntary acquisition, through purchase or donation, of land or conservation easements on properties identified in the plan as high priorities . Why was it created ? Although many communities in the basin have their own water supply intake , and in many cases their own reservoir, it is clear that water throughout the basin is a shared and interconnected resource that requires a unified approach to protection . Regulations alone , although critical to protection , will not be sufficient to protect water supplies in the future . We who benefit from the resource must make a concerted effort to protect the forests , wetlands and other natural lands that naturally retain and filter polluted stormwater , ensuring clean drinking water for current and future generations . Land conservation provides a voluntary, non-regulatory option for protecting water supplies and is a cost- effective tool over the long term. While protection of drinking water for all water supplies in the basin is the primary focus of the Falls Lake Initiative , associated land conservation will yield many additional benefits . These include stormwater retention, recreation , habitat protection, and preservation of community character and quality of life . Who is involved ? The Initiative Partners include the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, the Ellerbee Creek Watershed Association, the Eno River Association, the Tar River Land Conservancy, the Triangle Greenways Council , the Triangle J Council of Governments , the Triangle Land Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land , and the Upper Neuse River Basin Association , among others . What do we need from you ? You have been invited to participate in this initiative because of the important role you and your organization play in protecting public drinking water sources and the land that drains to those sources . The Falls Lake Initiative partners will conduct a three phase conservation planning process over the next nine months . We are asking key stakeholders to participate in one basin-wide meeting during each of the three phases of the planning project . At each meeting your input will be critical to guiding the initiative from planning to on-the - ground land and water quality protection, and ensuring that the needs of your community or organization guide the project ' s goals . 1 . The first meeting will be the kick-off on October 26th at 10 : 00 am. 2 . The second meeting will be in February, when we will need your input on the results of the computer model that prioritizes the most important lands in the basin, to ensure that it reflects the needs of your community . 3 . The third will be in May, when we will work together to identify next steps to begin implementing the plan .