Wendell News Outlet

Informational News of interest for the citizens in and around Wendell, North Carolina. Postings on this site are the property of Glenn Harris and cannot be copied without express written permission. Archives are listed at the bottom of the home page.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

WakeUp Wake County Update

Will our polluted drinking water get cleaned up?

You've probably heard that Jordan Lake and Falls Lake are "impaired." That means they're polluted from stormwater run-off and overgrown with potentially toxic algae. We living in Wake County primarily get our drinking water from Jordan Lake (western Wake) and Falls Lake (Raleigh and eastern Wake). The bad news is that both lakes have been declared impaired by the state, and are getting worse because of increasing development! The good news is that efforts are underway to direct action for clean up -- but VERY slowly! ***

So here's what's happening:

Jordan Lake - Within just 20 years, Jordan Lake became badly polluted. Twelve years later, rules have been negotiated between the state, municipalities and other stakeholders to direct action to help clean it up. Unfortunately, some in the NC General Assembly don't want the rules to proceed and are trying to "disapprove" the rules. A compromise was recently negotiated between upstream cities and downstream water consumers and clean water advocates. This compromise legislation, HB 239, just passed the NC House of Representatives last week, and next the NC Senate will consider this compromise. WakeUP recommends you urge elected officials at the city, county and state level to support Jordan Lake rules!

Falls Lake - Falls Lake and the streams flowing into it have been declared impaired/polluted. Rules were supposed to be developed for cleaning up Falls Lake by July of this year. Well, the state isn't meeting the deadline and needs more time. And it could take many years for these rules to be developed and implemented too -- just like Jordan Lake! Meanwhile, the lake is getting worse and Raleigh's Public Utility must use more chemicals to keep it clean to drink. WakeUP is communicating with city and state officials about getting moving with the rules. We also need incentives to encourage stormwater protections of the lake NOW, until the rules are developed. Wake Senator Josh Stein got a bill passed in the NC Senate last week that would do just that - SB 1020. Please thank him at josh.stein@ncleg.net.

*** To Support WakeUP's advocacy for cleaner drinking water and protections as Wake County grows, please consider donating $20 TODAY! Click here to donate for clean water!

posted by Administrator # 2:41 PM

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