Lake cleanup may cost millions
Sunday, April 29th, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
By Mark Binker
News & Record
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// < ![CDATA[ OAS_AD('Middle'); // ]]> RALEIGH — The Haw River sweeps pollution from sewage plants and rainwater runoff in the Triad downstream to Jordan Lake near Raleigh. Critics say hundreds of millions in tax dollars will soon follow in an effort to clean the 26-year-old reservoir.
Environmental groups say the cost of proposed state regulations — about $70 million just to make called-for upgrades to Greensboro’s sewage treatment plants — are worth it to restore the lake, a recreation area and key supply of drinking water , as well as a home to wildlife.
Communities in Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance and Caswell counties are upstream from the lake, which regulators say is impaired by overdoses of nitrogen and phosphorus.
In 1997 and 2005 , the General Assembly passed laws ordering the lake be cleaned up. After years of technical negotiations, proposed rules executing those laws will be published in June. Advocates expect the proposed rules to spark a yearlong battle, which almost certainly will wind up again before the state legislature.
Besides run-of-the-mill changes such as upgrading sewage treatment plants, the proposed rules as drafted would ask governments to take more exotic measures, such as finding places for drainage ponds in communities established before modern storm-water regulations. (more…)
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