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41 <br /> Slide #29 <br /> Nutrient Limitations <br /> • Falls Lake Rules <br /> • Town wastewater permit limits pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus <br /> discharged annually <br /> • No concentration permit limit for these but measured in mg/L and converted to pounds <br /> • Nitrogen is of main concern <br /> • Found in organic waste(i.e.,mostly human and food sources) <br /> • Limited to 10,422 lbs.per year <br /> • Used 68%in 2024 <br /> • Noticeable increase in 2023 and 2024 <br /> Bryant Green reiterated that annual nitrogen limits in the Falls Lake rules have a significant <br /> impact on the town's capacity. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked if updates to the water treatment plant are still on track <br /> despite issues with federal funding. <br /> Bryant Green said, unfortunately, the town's FEMA BRICK grant for pump station <br /> upgrades was rescinded as part of a nationwide program elimination, so there is no funding <br /> source for upgrades to the pump station that pumps into the wastewater treatment plant. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked how the town's nutrient level would be impacted if they were <br /> able to access funding to upgrade the pump. <br /> Matt Efird said, given the already high rates, if the town were forced to choose between <br /> growth limitation and putting in a reverse osmosis plant or something similar, the community <br /> would be better served by limiting growth. He explained that it is prohibitively expensive to explore <br /> those alternative treatments. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked what the downside is to limited growth. <br /> Matt Efird said costly legal defenses for developers that are denied are one of the <br /> downsides. <br /> Chair Bedford added that housing costs go up as well. <br />