More Jordan / EPA
To follow up on my previous post, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) wants to push EPA’s Clean Water Act obligations if the Jordan clean-up strategy is repealed. This article was posted by “Cheap Trick” Wise in the N&O outlining steps that SELC wants…
Jordan and EPA’s Options
What happens if the NC Legislature repeals the rules for reducing pollution to Jordan Lake, a drinking water source for nearly 300,000 triangle residents? If you’re the sponsor of the bill, Senators Rick Gunn (R-Burlington) and Trudy Wade (R-Greensboro), you hope that development is…
Fresh Pickles, Better Water
Two subjects near and dear to my heart, pickles and water. What intersects these two subjects? It comes with the byproduct of the pickling process – brine. Brine is a mix of salt, vinegar, and water that is used to produce the pickles. Now…
Post-script on the Jordan repeal bill
Two pieces to add to my last entry. First, what can be done? Contact your NC House representative and inform them of your opposition to this ill-advised effort to repeal the clean-up strategy Jordan Lake. The Triangle Lands Conservancy has put together an online…
An “All you can eat” diet never works
State political changes this past year promised pushback on policies passed under previous administrations. The promise of change has certainly played out for environmental protections with two examples being the threatened rollback of protections for streamside forests in the Neuse and Tar Basins and…
National Geographic on Fertilizer
The latest issue of NG arrived and in it was an article “Feast or Famine: The Flow of Nitrogen” describing fertilizer usage and sources. While the focus of the article was worldwide, it included examples and pictures specific to the US. Worldwide, usage is…
NC = Nutrient Criteria
Excess nutrients have been plaguing portions of our state for decades. From impairing aquatic biology to promoting toxic algae and fowling drinking waters, eutrophication has many ways of impacting our waters. In 1982 the State adopted its first strategy to begin dealing with the…
Teachable Moments – Part 2
Last week, I heard that some of our state’s representatives in budget meetings were questioning why we need to restore wetlands. An official of the State’s Program in charge of wetland restoration responded that is was because they are protected by federal law. True, some…
Teachable Moments – Part 1
Teachable moments come with both kids and adults. This past week, I got to spend an afternoon with the 5th grade students at Conn Elementary to talk about ecosystems, watersheds, and the importance of restoration. The students will get the chance to learn about…
Redoing NC’s buffer protections
The NC Division of Water Quality is in the process of crafting rules related to the protection and mitigation of streamside forests – aka, buffers. We offered input on these rules back in March. The rules are meant to consolidate and simplify the regulation…