Raleigh Public Record (https://theraleighcommons.org/raleighpublicrecord/author/dan-riechers/)
DENR has not issued a fine for sediment pollution since April 2013. And as sediment pollution builds in one development, the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper is concerned that DENR is not enforcing the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act.
The state 303d list, due biennially to EPA, lists many rivers in the Raleigh area. See if your local stream is on it. In a separate program, every stream in Raleigh has water quality problems.
Raleigh and nearby municipalities will kick in funding for Falls Lake research after the state Environmental Commission rejected a state plan for controlling nutrient pollution, but many think the state should pay for the work.
The North Carolina General Assembly eliminated tax credits and other funding to protect land in watersheds. The City of Raleigh and its partners are working to figure out new solutions to protect drinking water supplies from pollution. This story is the second of a two-part series about Raleigh’s efforts to protect its water supplies from nutrient pollution and sedimentation.
Raleigh challenges a state permit that allows discharging some septic systems in the Falls Lake watershed, a practice that the city says contributes pollution to the lake. Front page photo by Luke Wisley.
Raleigh’s wastewater treatment plant on the Neuse River will be expanded again to keep up with anticipated growth in the city.
The state Department of Public Safety believes they have found and stopped the source of fuel leaking from Central Prison into Rocky Branch Creek, but inspectors will continue to monitor the site and DENR could still issue fines.
Raleigh’s demand for water is projected to exceed its current supply in less than 20 years. City officials are looking at options, but they are all expensive, difficult to access, and require compromise.
Officials believe an underground spill first discovered in 1999 is leaking diesel fuel into a creek running by Central Prison.
The state division of water quality extended a permit that the city says will allow some homeowners in the Falls Lake watershed to continue polluting.
