Jordan watershed stormwater management

From Water Wiki

The watershed of Lake Jordan, in central North Carolina, stretches from north of Greensboro to south and east of Chapel Hill--covering much of the urban and industrial heartland of the state. Nutrient problems in Lake Jordan led the state to propose a nutrient management strategy in the 1990s, but the management plan was deferred while further studies and modeling took place to determine the relative contributions of the Haw River and New Hope Creek sub-watersheds to the nutrient problem. From 2007 - 2009 the state Division of Water Quality, the Environmental Management Commission, a large and diverse group of stakeholders and ultimately the legislature struggled with the right mix and timing of management techniques to address the eutrophication of the lake. Out of that work came the 'Jordan rules', a combination of administrative rules and statutes that set the nutrient management plan for the early 21st century.

The plan has a point source component and a nonpoint source component. This page of the water wiki focuses on the nonpoint source (stormwater) component, and particularly the model ordinance for new development. The model ordinance was drafted in 2010 by water wiki editor Richard Whisnant. Here is a link to the pages which will present the draft ordinance, a comparison of the Jordan model ordinance to the Phase II model ordinance, and a place for leaving comments as the refinement of the model ordinance continues.

Here is a presentation on the Jordan nutrient reduction program and the model ordinance. Here is a presentation on the draft model ordinance itself, as of November 30, 2010.