| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO STUDY 2 |
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| 14 | 15 | | AND REPORT ON THE JORDAN LAKE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. 3 |
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| 15 | 16 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4 |
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| 16 | 17 | | SECTION 1. The Department of Environmental Quality (Department) shall conduct 5 |
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| 17 | 18 | | a study and analysis of nutrient management strategies and compilation of existing water quality 6 |
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| 18 | 19 | | data pertaining to Jordan Lake. As part of this study, the Department shall do all of the following: 7 |
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| 19 | 20 | | (1) Review data collected by the Department and other stakeholders from water 8 |
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| 20 | 21 | | sampling (including the study conducted by the University of North Carolina 9 |
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| 21 | 22 | | pursuant to Section 14.13(c) of S.L. 2016-94, as amended) in areas subject to 10 |
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| 22 | 23 | | the Jordan Lake Water Supply Nutrient Strategies (Strategies). 11 |
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| 23 | 24 | | (2) Compare trends in water quality to the implementation of the various elements 12 |
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| 24 | 25 | | of each of the Strategies and evaluate the extent to which those elements are 13 |
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| 25 | 26 | | resulting in improvements in water quality. 14 |
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| 26 | 27 | | (3) Examine data regarding natural background conditions for total nitrogen and 15 |
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| 27 | 28 | | total phosphorus in Jordan Lake, and internal loading of those nutrients, and 16 |
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| 28 | 29 | | evaluate whether portions of the Strategies imposing nutrient reduction 17 |
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| 29 | 30 | | requirements on upstream users will lower levels of chlorophyll-a. 18 |
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| 30 | 31 | | (4) Evaluate and determine additional actions or funding needed to revise water 19 |
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| 31 | 32 | | quality criteria in order to produce realistic, achievable site-specific criteria 20 |
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| 32 | 33 | | that ensure that Jordan Lake maintains all designated uses in the most 21 |
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| 33 | 34 | | cost-effective manner. 22 |
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| 34 | 35 | | SECTION 2. The Department shall report to the Environmental Review 23 |
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| 35 | 36 | | Commission and the Environmental Management Commission no later than January 31, 2027, 24 |
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| 36 | 37 | | with interim reports no later than January 31, 2026, and July 31, 2026. The final report shall 25 |
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| 37 | 38 | | include any statutory or regulatory changes necessary to implement the recommendations made 26 |
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| 38 | 39 | | in the report. 27 |
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| 39 | 40 | | SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law. 28 |
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