Monitoring Rules Public Hearing

Monday, June 15 at 7:00 PM

Ground Floor Hearing Room, Archdale Building, 512 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh

The NRF, along with Waterkeeper Alliance, Pamlico-Tar River Foundation, Cape Fear Riverkeeper and White Oak-New Riverkeeper Foundation, recently petitioned the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to institute rules requiring swine facilities in NC to monitor waterways running through their waste sprayfields.

This is a very important step in our efforts to invalidate the industries claim that they are not polluting the waters of our state. Certainly, we encourage you to speak if you like - and we can help you with comments should you want to participate - but just your presence would be greatly appreciated. We need to have as many people in the audience showing their support for the rules.

We look forward to seeing you then!!

Larry Baldwin	Alissa Bierma
Lower Neuse RIVERKEEPER®	Upper Neuse RIVERKEEPER®

Background and Information

Dotting the eastern North Carolina landscape are close to 4000 waste lagoons, or storage pits, where hog and poultry operations store raw urine and feces until conditions present themselves for the operators to spray the waste onto fields. Most of these fields are transected with drainage ditches that directly connect to public trust waters. Even during the best of climatic conditions, animal waste high in nutrients and fecal bacteria can make their way into streams and rivers via surface or shallow subsurface runoff. Some sprayfields are underline by drain tiles, or artificial drainage systems, which discharge directly into ditches and then to waterways.

At close to 10 million hogs, North Carolina is the number two producer of swine in the United States behind Iowa. The state now houses more hogs than people, with most of the negative environmental and health impacts occurring in the Cape Fear, Neuse, and Tar-Pamlico River basins. One can begin to comprehend the management challenges of hog waste from 10 million animals by realizing that on a per capita basis, swine produce about 10 times the fecal waste as an average human being, producing roughly 13 million pounds of waste per day for the North Carolina herd.

Now the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission has agreed with NC Waterkeepers that industrial animal operations should be required to monitor waterways running through their waste sprayfields. Such water quality monitoring will be a highly effective and reasonable way for the state and the industry to determine if current practices are protective of the state’s water resources. All other industries must monitor their waste discharge to insure that our waters are protective. It is past time for this industry to be held to similar standards.

Tell the NC Environmental Management Commission:

- To support and approve the NC Division of Water Quality’s monitoring rule that was drafted via a stakeholder process

- This rule embodies a targeted and workable alternative that protects North Carolina’s economy, its environment, and the health if its citizens.

- Through a demonstrative and preventative plan, monitoring of waste discharge from industrial animal feeding operations can efficiently and effectively reduce the environmental and human health impacts caused by animal waste discharges.

NEWS: Wake Closes Beaverdam Beach Due to High Bacteria Levels

Wake County has closed the recreational swimming area at Beaverdam Beach on Falls Lake due to elevated levels of bacteria, based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards...The lake is not closed to fishing. County staff suggests that citizens call their recreational lake facilities to find out if they are open to swimming. Citizens are also reminded to always wash hands with soap and water, and thoroughly shower after swimming, tubing or skiing in area lakes.

This is the second time in under a month that Wake County has closed one of their Falls Lake swimming beaches due to high bacterial counts.

Tired of a sick and tired Falls Lake?

Contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to support Version 3 of House Bill 1099 to Amend Environmental Laws which keeps the pressure on to complete the Falls Lake Rules by September 2010.

Feel like talking to more than one person? Drum up support for Senate Bill 1020: Upper Neuse Basin Clean Water Credits which provides credit to governments that proactively implement stormwater and development protection measures prior to completion of the rules.

Action Needed by Wake County Citizens!

What has hundreds of paws, makes hundreds of people smile and needs thousands of aluminum cans to stay healthy

In the last month the N&O has covered a number of stories on the degradation of water resources (ex. "Mud, stench spoil Lake Lynn” and “Silt takes toll at Shelley.”) The existing correction and enforcement agencies simply don’t have the resources to stay ahead of the damage curve. Now Wake County has proposed to cut two FULL-TIME positions from the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) – an agency whose goal is to ensure healthy watersheds and healthy communities.

Everyone understands the need for cuts during this economic downturn, but cutting services and positions that protect our environment is a short-sighted approach that we will all pay for dearly in the future.

At 2:00 pm on Monday, June 15, Wake County will officially adopt their FY 2010 Budget, but there is still time to weigh in and tell them that cutting funding that helps protect the lake or stream in your neighborhood is not a solution; it's a problem. Please help protect the SWCD from significant cuts during the adoption of the FY10 budget!

Take Action NOW!

• Ask questions or provide feedback on the budget by emailing budget@co.wake.nc.us or calling 919-856-5480
  
• Send a prepared letter to the Board of County Commissioners
  
• Send a self-drafted email to the Board of County Commissioners
  • Harold Webb, Chair, Dist 5
    
  • Joe Bryan, Dist 1
    
  • Tony Gurley, Dist 3
    
  • Lindy Brown, Vice Chair, Dist 2
    
  • Paul Coble, Dist 7
    
  • Stan Norwalk, Dist 4
    
  • Betty Lou Ward, Dist 6
    
  • Susan Banks, Clerk to the Board

Learn more about the Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as this issue at: www.neuseriver.org

posted by Administrator  # 11:25 AM