North Carolina Wildlife Federation

CL:.�
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY
North Carolina
Wildlife Federation
. I j)iliated with the Aational IVildlile Federation
2155 McClintock Rd. 1024 Washington St.
Charlotte. NC 28205 Raleigh, NC 27605
(704) 332 -5696 (919) 833 -1923
1114� Pr119H i
WHEREAS, the United States Congress authorized B. Everette Jordan Lake in 1963 and the Final
Environmental Impact Study was submitted in 1971, which contained abundant concerns and warnings
about future water quality degradation and eutrophication in the reservoir from the Ignited States
Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of the Interior, and,
WHEREAS, in the interim, eleven (11) Rules have been enacted by the Environmental Management
Commission under the title of Jordan Water Supply Nutrient Strategy to control such activities as
agriculture, storm water management for development (new and old), protection of riparian buffers,
wastewater discharge, and fertilizer management; and,
WHEREAS, in the interim, six (6) Session Laws have been enacted by the North Carolina General
Assembly (NCGA) to restore water quality, address solid waste disposal, and to make various changes to
Environmental Management Commission Rules under the Jordan Lake Nutrient Strategy; and,
WHEREAS, the 2013 NCGA enacted SB 515, codified as Session Law 2013 -395, on a split vote of 61-43
in the House and 28 -13 in the Senate and signed by the Governor to delay implementation of measures to
address water quality issues in Jordan Lake for further evaluation and exploration of measures and
technologies to improve water quality in the lake for a period of three (3) years; and,
WHEREAS, the NCGA included funding for experimental aeration equipment in the approved budget in
the amount of $1,350,000 in 2014 and $300,000 in 2015 from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund
and an additional $150,000 each year from the Water Quality budget to finance the purchase and
implementation of the Jordan Lake Water Quality Improvement Study; and,
WHEREAS, these funds are important to other land and water conservation projects and funds for these
purposes are scarce; and,
WHEREAS, the technology to be applied to Jordan Lake consists of 48 aerators and Jordan Lake consists
of 14,000 acres of open water averaging 14 feet deep; and,
WHEREAS, this aeration technology has not been proven to be successful in large bodies of water such
as Jordan Lake; and,
WHEREAS, the existing Rules constituting the Jordan Lake Water Supply Nutrient Strategy have not
been given adequate time to show positive results in terms of improving water quality of the lake and
further delay of these Rules will exacerbate deteriorating water quality in Jordan Lake; and,
WHEREAS, the aeration experiment can be conducted without suspending existing water quality Rules.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation in official session on
February 15, 2014 that Rules creating the Jordan Lake Water Supply Nutrient Strategy should not be
delayed due to flee urgency to address deteriorating water quality in Jordan Lake given the great pressure
for development in the watershed and its adverse impact on Jordan Lake and its important natural
resources and recreational values.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that North Carolina Wildlife Federation will support all efforts to
overturn the unwise action to suspend water quality Rules on Jordan Lake in terms of Federal review by
the USEPA or legal action.