The Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative Conservation Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE UPPER NEUSE CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE CONSERVATION PLAN Protecting Land and Drinking Water for the Future C ITY OF R ALEIGH C ONSERVATION T RUST FOR N ORTH C AROLINA E LLERBE C REEK W ATERSHED A SSOCIATION E NO R IVER A SSOCIATION N EUSE R IVER F OUNDATION TAR R IVER L AND C ONSERVANCY T RIANGLE G REENWAYS C OUNCIL T RIANGLE J COUNCIL OF G OVERNMENTS T RIANGLE L AND C ONSERVANCY T HE T RUST FOR P UBLIC L AND U PPER N EUSE R IVER B ASIN A SSOCIATION Written by Kelley Hart, The Trust for Public Land Designed and produced by Patrice Gallagher, Gallagher/Wood Design Copyright 2006 by the Trust for Public Land All rights reserved cover photo left The Conservation Trust for North Carolina cover photo center The Trust for Public Land (archives) cover photo right Upper Neuse River Basin Association THE UPPER NEUSE CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE CONSERVATION PLAN Protecting Land and Drinking Water for the Future This conservation plan and other efforts of the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative were generously funded by the CITY OF RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA. Table of Contents I NTRODUCTION 1 T HE U PPER N EUSE R IVER B ASIN TODAY AND TOMORROW 3 S TRESSES ON DRINKING WATER S UPPLIES 4 T HE R EGULATORY FABRIC 7 L AND C ONSERVATION AS A DRINKING WATER P ROTECTION S TRATEGY 9 Conservation Accomplishments and Efforts Underway 9 Advancing Land Conservation for Source Protection 10 Process 10 Results 12 G ETTING TO I MPLEMENTATION 14 Potential Sources of Local Funding 14 Potential Sources of State and Federal Funding 16 C ONCLUSION 17 A PPENDICES Appendix A: Current Land Use in the Upper Neuse River Basin 18 Appendix B: How Development Impacts Water Quality: An Example 19 Appendix C: Primary Local Laws Related to Water Quality within the Upper Neuse River Basin 21 Appendix D: Highlights of Riparian Buffer (not including wetlands) and Erosion Control Rules 22 Appendix E: Description of Modeling Process 25 M APS Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative Study Area 2 High Priority Lands for Water Quality Protection in the Upper Neuse River Basin [inside back cover] F IGURES Figure A: Population Served by Public Drinking Water Suppliers Drawing from UNRB 4 Figure B: Projected Population Growth in Six County Area 5 Figure C: Current and Projected Demand v. Supply of Drinking Water 5 Figure D: Proportion of UNRB Acreage by County 13 Figure E: Proportion of Land that the Model Identifies by County for Acquisition in UNRB 13 TABLES Table A: Comparison in the UNRB of Total and Protected Acres in Each County and Water Quality Protection Scenario Results 12 Acknowledgments Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative Technical Advisory Team Members Ben Bearden Triangle J Council of Governments Sydney Miller Triangle J Council of Governments Chris Dreps Upper Neuse River Basin Association Bob Heuer The Trust for Public Land Brenda Faber The Trust for Public Land Lisa Creasman Conservation Trust for North Carolina Silvia Terziotti United States Geologic Survey John Cox City of Durham Stormwater Services Amy Axon North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Public Water Supply Section David Hammermann North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Public Water Supply Section Geraldine Dumas Kerr-Tar Council of Governments Nancy Newell City of Durham Helen Youngblood Durham City-County Planning George Rogers City of Raleigh Derek Halberg Tar River Land Conservancy Rusty Painter Conservation Trust for North Carolina Jeff Masten Triangle Land Conservancy Rich Shaw Orange County Environmental and Resource Conservation Department Klugh Jordan Eno River Association Jason Falls Granville County Environmental Programs Barry Baker Granville County Planning Chris Mankoff North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program Doug Newcomb United States Fish and Wildlife Service Wright Lowery Wake County GIS Cam McNutt North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality Tom Potter North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Division of Soil and Water Conservation Bill Flournoy Triangle Greenways Council Diana Tetens Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association Thanks also to the following land trusts who helped review various components of this Conservation Plan: Tar River Land Conservancy, Triangle Land Conservancy, Eno River Association, and Triangle Greenways Council. Introduction his Conservation Plan presents the developed watersheds, all else held equal.1 case for a strategic, multiple step There are also benefits for those who draw Tapproach to drinking water protection their drinking water from wells, because con- in the Upper Neuse River Basin (UNRB). servation of strategic parcels can reduce Specifically, it recommends a coordinated land threats of groundwater contamination and conservation initiative to help safeguard a cru- safeguard recharge zones to keep the water cial natural resource that connects six counties table from dropping. In general, protecting and provides drinking water and economic natural lands helps to protect the potential for infrastructure to over 535,000 people. Demand recharging surface and groundwater sources. for water in the region is increasing rapidly due Land conservation for drinking water pro- to immigration, and the population is expected tection can dovetail with other community to nearly double by 2030. priorities. For example, land conservation can The region has been recognized repeatedly also protect rural quality of life, productive in national publications as one of the most agricultural lands for local food production, desirable places in the country to live and and farmers’ options to maintain working work, and its economic growth has brought a lands while realizing income. Land conserva- new level of diversity and vitality. Thousands of tion can also be used to protect biodiversity, new residents every year want to enjoy a high natural lands, heritage areas, and parks. It can quality of life that includes clean water and air even help reduce local governments’ flood and green space. control costs and improve air quality. Land conservation is a cost effective way to This report lays out the background, new preserve the high-quality raw water in the mapping tools, and a strategy for blending UNRB for use as drinking water. A recent preservation of high-priority lands with exist- study by The Trust for Public Land found that ing conservation programs and water quality water treatment plant costs were far lower for protection measures to help guarantee cleaner plants drawing surface waters from highly natural drinking water for the long term. forested watersheds as opposed to highly © TOM PENDER 2005 THE UPPER NEUSE CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE CONSERVATION PLAN 1 Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative Study Area ROXBORO CASWELL PERSON OXFORD N Flat River S Flat River GRANVILLE Flat 85 River Lake Holt STEM Hillsborough N Fork Little River Reservoir S Fork Little River Lake Lake Michie Lake Orange Little River Rogers BUTNER Little River Reservoir CREEDMOOR Corporation Lake HILLSBOROUGH Eno River FRANKLIN 85 40 Ellerbe Lake Ben Creek Johnston Falls Lake ORANGE Legend DURHAM County Boundaries Municipalities DURHAM WAKE FOREST Falls Lake Watershed Study Area CHAPEL Research WAKE Surface Water HILL Triangle Park Drinking Water Source 40 540 RALEIGH 01.25 2.5 5 Miles Map Created by the Triangle J Council of Governments Map createdGeographic by the Triangle Information J SystemsCouncil of Govrnments 5/22/2006 TriangleTriangle J J For useGeographic in the Upper Neuse Information Clean Water Systems Initiative. Council of Governments Information on this map is for discussion Council of Governments and visualizationMay purposes22, 2006 only. For use in the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative. Information on this map is for discussion and visualization purposes only. THE UPPER NEUSE RIVER BASIN TODAY AND TOMORROW here are nine water supply reservoirs in In this relatively large region, urban and the UNRB, Lake Holt, Lake Rogers, suburban development occupies 20% of the TLake Michie, Little River Reservoir, land. Only 16% of the basin is considered agri- Falls Lake, Lake Ben Johnston, Lake Orange, cultural landcover and less than 3% is wetlands. New Hillsborough Reservoir and Corporation In contrast, 60% is forested.2 See Appendix A Lake (See map, opposite page). Falls Lake is the for a better sense of how various land uses are largest and furthest downstream, draining the distributed throughout the basin. According to entire 770 square-mile basin. Eight municipali- the Upper Neuse River Basin Association, “it ties are wholly or partially located in the basin, is projected that by 2025, about 50,000 acres and two of them — Raleigh and Durham — (13 percent) of the remaining undeveloped COURTESY OF FROG HOLLOW CANOE & KAYAK SERVICES are among the top five fastest growing cities in land will convert to developed land, bringing the state. the total developed land to 140,000 acres (28 The region has experienced rapid change percent of the watershed).”3 in recent decades. Raleigh and Durham have Falls Lake is emblematic of the scarcity of become thriving centers of high-technology new drinking water sources and the vulnerabil- research and industry, while the upper portions ity of reservoirs to upstream impacts. Falls Lake of the watershed have struggled economically was filled in the early 1980s to meet Raleigh’s with the demise of the tobacco program and growing demand for water, despite studies by decline of American manufacturing. People are the Army Corps of Engineers, North Carolina