Chatham leaders
riled up about
Jordan Lake
decision
16 DEC 2008 • by Matt Saldaņa
Chatham County elected leaders have condemned Durham County’s recent decision to endorse a private developer’s survey that would re-define Jordan Lake’s protected areas. Neal Hunter, a developer who lives in Chatham County, commissioned the survey, which moved a proposed mega-project known as the “751 Assemblage” almost entirely out of the environmentally protected critical watershed, where it currently stands.
Hunter’s self-interest goes further: He is now a minority-partner in the development company seeking to build the 751 Assemblage—1,300 dwellings and 600,000 square feet of office space on land he owned near Jordan Lake’s shore.
In a Dec. 15 resolution (PDF, 934 KB) sent to the N.C. Division of Water Quality, the Chatham Board of Commissioners requested that, barring an independent survey, Jordan Lake’s boundaries remain unchanged, in order to protect “the public health and welfare of those who utilize Jordan Lake and drink its waters, and in the principles of environmental stewardship.” The Durham County Commissioners rejected an independent survey last month, electing instead to submit Hunter’s survey to DWQ.
“The Chatham Board of Commissioners is alarmed that a survey paid for by a private developer shifting the normal pool boundary of the lake is being requested. We are asking that you reject this survey,” Chairman George Lucier wrote to DWQ. “Any adjustment to the normal pool boundary and the critical watershed area boundary should only be made if the results of an impartial and thorough survey determines if such a shift is justified.”
Lucier sent the letter to Julie Ventaloro, the state’s watershed protection coordinator, the same day Chatham commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt its resolution. He said that the county recently became aware of Hunter’s survey from concerned citizens in Durham and Chatham Counties, several of whom cited a Dec. 3 Indy story on the re-drawn Jordan Lake boundaries.
One clause in the commissioners’ resolution highlighted Hunter’s conflict of interest: “Whereas [Hunter’s] survey was designed with the purpose of allowing additional density in the Upper New Hope section of the lake.”
The section where Hunter has proposed the 751 Assemblage project is one of the most polluted portions of the lake, further burdening it. Jordan Lake has been on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Impaired Waters list since 2002 due to “excess nutrients,” such as nitrogen, which make it difficult for aquatic life to thrive. High amounts of nutrients also can require water to be treated with additional chemicals before it can be used for drinking.
“Whatever runoff comes in from that development is going to come down to Chatham County. We’ve seen what happened with Amberly when they did dense development by the lake,” Lucier said in an interview, referring to a controversial residential development in Cary. “If you had seen the aerial photographs of that, you could see that there’s a tremendous amount of sedimentation and erosion. We would like to prevent that sort of thing from happening in the future.”
Lucier declined comment on Durham County’s 3-2 vote Nov. 24 to reject an independent survey of Jordan Lake, electing instead to wait for DWQ’s official ruling on Hunter’s survey.
“The only thing that I know is that it was a mixed vote, and there were arguments against [Hunter’s survey]. Chatham County basically supports the arguments against it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lucier said that protecting Jordan Lake, a drinking water source for Chatham, as well as Cary, Morrisville, Apex and portions of Research Triangle Park, was “not a point of disagreement.” This month, Chatham commissioners passed amendments that strengthened its watershed, subdivision, and soil erosion and sedimentation control ordinances. They also created a new storm water ordinance, enacting stricter environmental protections of its rivers, lakes and streams.
By contrast, Hunter’s survey sought to reduce Jordan Lake’s critical watershed area, which limits development, by effectively re-drawing the shape of Jordan Lake. “What is going on, in [Durham’s] request, is flying in face to our own ordinances,” he said. “We’re willing to walk the talk, in terms of our own ordinances.”
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http://www.indyweek.com:80/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:272431
12/11/08
The following article appears on the CCEC website by permission of its author, Tim Keim, having originally appeared in the Chapel Hill Herald. Tim Keim is a writer and the recipient of many awards for his radio news and documentary work (and a good neighbor of CCEC Board member, Gary Simpson).
Tim is a strong advocate and an eloquent voice for the fragile environment that faces daily challenges that are unprecedented in the history of the county and the planet.
SACRED WATERS
Those of you who’ve perused this column in the past know that I often focus on the challenges facing our water resources in the Upper Cape Fear River Basin. Lake Jordan, the Haw, Deep, and Rocky Rivers and their tributaries from counties around comprise this system. Many nationally significant natural areas and endangered species knit this wonder together. As my understanding of this complex marvel of creation grows, I am compelled to share it.
A few days ago, the North Carolina Rules Review Committee, in a 4-3 vote, approved the long-awaited draft regulations to begin cleaning up Jordan Lake and its branch contributors. Although this is a momentous milestone in the process, some heavy legislative lifting remains to implement the plan. As shameful and unbelievable as it may be, diluting the strength of the rules will be a priority of some state senators and representatives; and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Jordan Lake is chronically challenged by several sources of pollution. Tons of sediment from construction sites, farms and storm water drains wash into its network every year and smother fish and other aquatic organisms. Excess nitrogen and phosphorous feed algal blooms that suck up oxygen, pushing many species toward endangerment or extinction. Sewage sludge, masquerading as agricultural fertilizer, containing an unknown witch’s brew of toxic chemicals, also finds its way into Jordan. Other pollutants leaching into our water include pharmaceuticals, automotive waste, and pesticides, the quantities of which no one can venture even an educated guess.
Nearly a million people live in and around the watershed, and that number is predicted to increase by many thousands in the near future. A burgeoning population will only intensify current problems unless the Jordan Lake Draft Rules are implemented and strengthened.
In a recent interview with Haw River Assembly Executive Director, Elaine Chiosso, I could hear relief in her voice at the approval of the rules. I also heard weariness and apprehension. Ms. Chiosso and legions of committed citizens have worked for years against daunting adversaries for the integrity of our life-support systems. Who are these adversaries of clean water you might ask?
Powerful industrial and municipal players have fought against doing anything to clean up their pollution to ensure that neighbors downstream enjoy clean water, too. Resistance from Greensboro, Burlington and Durham has been a regular impediment to the process. Kudos to the Chatham Board of Commissioners for being a positive influence throughout the proceedings. But perhaps the intransigence of the resistant boggles your mind as it does mine.
Of course, it boils down to money. But it’s deeper than that. Petty pecuniary concerns are rooted in the radical separation of human beings from our god granted, nurturing earth. Long ago we divorced ourselves from the intimate connection to what sustains us in order to transform earth, air and water into mere commodities to be bartered. In the bargain we profane and disable the very processes that keep us alive.
Once upon a time, before our command of coal and petroleum, humans propagated and passed down a sacred relationship to the earth. Before Columbus the Iroquois Nation considered the welfare of their descendants seven generations into the future before making a decision. For us it’s the quarterly bottom line. Chief Seattle, the great Suquamish leader, proclaimed that “the earth does not belong us, we belong to the earth.” This world view might seem quaint, a vestige of a “primitive” people who succumbed to our more industrious attitudes. I would argue the exact opposite!
The survival of Chatham depends on our remarriage to these long-forsaken values. These values are: that the earth, water and air which sustain us are sacred, and that we can no longer jeopardize our future by betraying our heritage for a few coins. The rivers, dirt and air of Chatham County must once again be exalted above a market place that trades them to trash.
It’s hypocrisy for us to oooh and aaaah over pristine wilderness where it can still be found. Chatham was once pristine, and can be again as we elevate its wonders to a status of reverence.
Goals along that path in regards to our great river basin would be: reinventing our processes for dealing with sewage and waste. Treating waste to a minimal standard and then piping its filthy effluent back into our rivers is simply stupid. Alternatives exist. Transforming waste into energy is a good place to start. Creating stronger incentives to encourage organic farming would eliminate the need for fertilizers and chemicals that foul our waters. Direct all storm water into ponds and natural wetlands, allowing nature to clean it for free before it reaches our reservoirs. Ban the use of toxic sewage sludge as fertilizer.
You may call this extreme. I call it a manifesto for life; the life and future of Chatham County. Let’s not cripple ourselves by the corrosive compromises of low standards, but rather re-create the Eden we were meant to enjoy and protect. By such action, we will flourish in health, prosperity, and happiness.
