Our Rivers, Lakes & Streams News

Apex - More than 6,500 North Carolinians are calling on state officials to restore Jordan Lake, Environment North Carolina and the Haw River Assembly said at a lakeside news conference today.  Advocates delivered the thousands of postcards, emails, and petitions to state officials this afternoon, in time for the close of an official public comment period on the protection of the Triangle reservoir.

“Jordan Lake is such a popular spot for fishing, swimming, bird-watching, or just relaxing,” said Kat Scott, Environment North Carolina campaign coordinator, and one of the dozens of staff and volunteers who helped gather public comments.  “Everyone wants to save Jordan Lake.”

The lake, which is a popular nesting ground for the bald eagle, receives approximately 1 million visitors each year.  Created in 1982, the reservoir also provides clean drinking water to more than 120,000 Wake, Durham, and Chatham County residents. 

Scientists first identified pollution problems in Jordan Lake as early as 1997, causing government leaders to demand clean up and protection of the reservoir. 

But since then, pollution problems have worsened.  In the past seven years, more than 60 new developments have been permitted to begin construction in the area surrounding Jordan Lake.  And since 1985, development near the lake has more than doubled.

More development has led to more polluted runoff and more treated sewage discharges into the lake—causing excessive algae, increasing the costs of treating drinking water, and threatening the lake’s ability to sustain fishing and swimming for the years to come. 

“Through our own citizen water monitoring project and Lake Watch volunteers,” said Catherine Deininger of The Haw River Assembly, “we are certain that these rules are needed if Jordan Lake is not to become even more impaired by excessive algae than it is today.”

In May, officials with the state’s Environmental Management Commission unveiled their long-overdue protection plan for Jordan Lake.  Despite its delay, environmental advocates commended the package of rules, which they say would:

    * maintain existing vegetative buffers around the lake and its tributaries to filter out pollutants;

    * require measures throughout the area draining into Jordan Lake to control runoff pollution from new development, and;

    * limit polluted runoff from existing developments.

The advocates, however, urged the Environmental Management Commission to improve the rule to require reductions of nitrogen pollution by 2011, rather than wait until 2016.  The Commission is expected to make its decision on the rule at its November meeting. 

Above all else, advocates for the lake urged state officials to approve the rules as soon as possible.

“It may take many years to see the results of efforts to restore Jordan Lake to healthier conditions,” said Cynthia Crossen of the Haw River Assembly, “but we cannot delay the start of these efforts any longer.”

Environment North Carolina is a statewide, citizen-based, environmental advocacy organization.  www.EnvironmentNorthCarolina.org

The Haw River Assembly is a non-profit citizen organization working to protect and restore the Haw River and Jordan Lake.  www.hawriver.org