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1 <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> To: Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager <br /> From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director <br /> Date: March 25, 2021 <br /> Re: Update on Upper Neuse River Basin Association (UNRBA) Implementation Strategy <br /> This memo serves to provide an update to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and <br /> yourself on follow-up actions that have occurred since our report to the BOCC at their <br /> November 5, 2020 meeting. That report shared upcoming activities to operationalize the Upper <br /> Neuse River Basin Association's (UNRBA) planned Interim Alternative Implementation Approach <br /> (or IAIA) to address the nutrient management reductions required for the Falls Lake watershed. <br /> As you know, most of central and northern Orange County is within the Upper Neuse and Falls <br /> Lake watershed (please see attached map) and is subject to the Falls Lake nutrient <br /> management rules. <br /> This memo was prepared with the assistance of County Staff Attorney James Bryan, Water <br /> Resources Coordinator Wesley Poole, Planning Director Craig Benedict and Staff Engineer <br /> Christopher Sandt. <br /> Overview of Recent Actions <br /> As noted at the November 5 meeting, Orange County and the other local government and <br /> public water provider members of the UNRBA have developed and now gained concurrence <br /> from the NC Division of Water Quality for an alternative strategy to address needed nutrient <br /> reductions for the adopted Falls Lake Watershed Rules to meet the Stage 1 rules requirements, <br /> beginning in FY 2021-22. This strategy is the aforementioned IAIA, which has each participating <br /> jurisdiction that is subject to the watershed rules agreeing to undertake a spectrum of different <br /> measures each year to decrease nutrient loading of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in Falls <br /> Lake, as required. In this strategy, each of the local governments and partners will begin <br /> implementing projects from a menu of nutrient reduction measures— implemented on a cost- <br /> wise basis for the next three to five years based on a jurisdictional share formula used by the <br /> UNRBA. <br /> At the November 5 meeting, the Board of Commissioners agreed to participate in the IAIA <br /> strategy and plan effective with the 2021-22 fiscal year. Orange County's funding share of <br /> annual projects to reduce nutrient loading is $161,943. <br />