Agenda - 10-03-2022; 12-8 - Information Item - Memorandum - State Approval of Upper Neuse River Basin Association’s Interim Alternative Implementation Approach (IAIA)

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1 Department of Environment, MEMORANDUM TO: Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager FROM: David Stancil, DEAPR Director Wesley Poole, Water Resources Coordinator DATE: September 19, 2022 RE: State Approval of Upper Neuse River Basin Association's Interim Alternative Implementation Approach (IATA) The purpose of this memorandum is to provide notice that the N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) officially approved on September 8, 2022 the Upper Neuse River Basin Association's (UNRBA) Interim Alternative Implementation Approach program for compliance with the Existing Development nutrient management provisions of the Falls Lake Rules. This approach has been developed by the UNRBA and was approved for implementation last year. However, this action marks the State's official acceptance of this method of nutrient management for the Falls Lake watershed. Background As you may recall, most of central and northern Orange County is within the Upper Neuse and Falls Lake watershed, and therefore subject to the Falls Lake nutrient management rules adopted in 2011. However, the rules that were approved were later widely acknowledged to be unwieldy and/or likely to fail to achieve the desired reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus. To this end, Orange County and other local government and public water provider members of the UNRBA developed an alternative strategy to address nutrient reductions for the adopted Falls Lake Watershed Rules to meet the Stage 1 rule requirements, beginning in FY 2021-22. This strategy became known as the IAIA, and has each participating jurisdiction that is subject to the watershed rules agreeing to Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2510 Fax: (919) 644-3351