North Carolina Lawmakers are still hammering out a budget deal as the fiscal year ends. As WFDD's Keri Brown reports, one controversial measure they're considering would scale back water quality rules in some areas.
The Senate version of the bill would repeal water quality laws in six different river basins by the end of 2020. That includes the Jordan Watershed, which serves some Piedmont communities.
Among the provisions is the elimination of what are called riparian buffers. They're strips of natural vegetation alongside streams and rivers. Environmentalists say they help filter pollutants and runoff from farms and developments.
The buffer rules were written after massive fish kills and algal blooms occurred in the Neuse River Basin in the 1990's. The rules limit development activity in areas close to the waterways.
Grady McCallie with North Carolina Conservation Network says the changes are a step in the wrong direction.
“These riparian buffers are the cheapest, most cost effective way to protect our drinking water and to protect the quality of the rivers, lakes and estuaries that we fish and swim in and we don't want to see those protections weakened,” says McCallie.
But supporters of the bill have alternative proposals, including setting aside $2 million to study nutrient management programs. If it passes, the bill would require the state to adopt new rules based on the study's results.
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