N.C. Cancels Plan to Increase Pollution in Falls Lake

Good news for Raleigh residents who like to drink clean water.

North Carolina environmental regulators have canceled a permit obtained through a backroom deal that would have allowed the state-managed town of Butner to increase its discharge of nitrogen into Falls Lake, the Capital City's main source of drinking water.

The N.C. Division of Water Quality's move came after the City of Raleigh and Neuse River Foundation, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, challenged the decision, which would have further polluted the already-impaired lake.

As a result, Butner will not be allowed to use nitrogen credits purchased from a downstream sewage plant without modifying its original permit - a process that requires public involvement.

"The state should now require that no pollution trading can occur without modifying the permit of the individual treatment plant," says Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks. "That way, the public can have a say in whether the pollution trade should be allowed and whether the river will be harmed."

The General Assembly is currently considering legislation to require studies of large drinking water reservoirs and prohibit wastewater treatment plants upstream of Falls Lake from increasing their discharge amounts until the study is complete.

For more details on the Butner permit controversy, visit the SELC's Web page on defending water quality in the Neuse River.