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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 2, 2023 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4-a <br /> SUBJECT: Resolution Endorsing Consensus Principles II for Revised Falls Lake Rules <br /> DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks <br /> and Recreation (DEAPR), <br /> Planning and Inspections <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 1 — Resolution Endorsing Consensus Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, 245- <br /> Principles II for Revised Falls Lake 2130 <br /> Rules Commissioner Sally Greene, 245-2130 <br /> 2 — Upper Neuse River Basin Map David Stancil, 245-2522 <br /> 3 — UNRBA Consensus Principles II Cy Stober, 245-2592 <br /> 4 — UNRBA Concepts and Principles for James Bryan, 245-2319 <br /> Reexamination Wesley Poole, 245-2513 <br /> 5 — PowerPoint Presentation Christopher Sandt, 245-2583 <br /> PURPOSE: To receive a presentation and consider endorsing a resolution of support for the <br /> Upper Neuse River Basin Association (UNRBA) Consensus Principles II for the revised Falls <br /> Lake Rules (also referred to as the revised Falls Lake Nutrient Management Strategy). The <br /> UNRBA Board of Directors will be voting on November 15, 2023 on the Consensus Principles. <br /> BACKGROUND: Orange County was a founding member of the UNRBA, which was created <br /> in the 1990's to coordinate mandatory watershed protection efforts among the jurisdictions of <br /> the Falls Lake watershed. Falls Lake (henceforth, "the Lake"), located in Durham, Granville <br /> and Wake counties, serves as the primary water supply source for Raleigh and many Wake <br /> County municipalities. Most of central, eastern and northeastern Orange County is located <br /> within the Upper Neuse River Basin and the Falls Lake watershed (See Attachment 2). <br /> The Falls Lake Rules were adopted in 2011 to address nutrient loading (primarily nitrogen and <br /> phosphorus) in the Lake. Accordingly, the UNRBA began to work as a coordinating entity <br /> among the jurisdictions to address this effort. Issues related to the science behind these <br /> standards became apparent, and a goal identified to re-examine the Rules arose, working from <br /> an original set of consensus principles approved in February 2010 as a guide. <br /> Implementation of the Rules, which would occur in two stages, has been estimated to cost the <br /> combined watershed jurisdictions over $1.5 billion in total to address under the original <br /> approach. In addition, detailed evaluation of the Rules by water resources consultants <br />