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Haw River MER 2014 Action Alert
Headline: Protect Clean Water in the Haw River!
North Carolina’s Haw River flows 110 miles from the north-central Piedmont near Greensboro
to the Cape Fear River below Jordan Lake Reservoir. The river and its watershed provide
drinking water to nearly one million people living in and around the cities of Greensboro,
Burlington, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Durham. It is also the most popular white water paddling
river in the area, and Jordan Lake provides recreation for about 1 million visitors each year for
boating, swimming, camping, and fishing. The river is an economic driver for the region, but
continued pollution will put all of that at risk.
The river and its watershed are polluted due to toxins carried in stormwater runoff and leaks
from outdated wastewater treatment systems. A cleanup plan was developed in 2009 to restore
this resource for the region, but continual delays by the North Carolina General Assembly have
prevented the cleanup from moving forward. Now the Assembly is proposing to scrap decades of
scientific analysis and millions of dollars of investment by local communities and state
taxpayers.
Take Action: Tell your Representative and Senator in the North Carolina General Assembly to
stop the delays and reinstate the plan to clean up the Haw.
Target Decision-Makers:
Members of the NC General Assembly.
Subject: Please Clean Up the Haw River!
Letter:
Dear [Decision-maker]:
As a supporter of American Rivers, Haw River Assembly, NC Sierra Club, NC Conservation
Network, and WakeUp Wake County, I am asking you to please stop the delays in cleaning up
the Haw River by reinstating the Jordan Lake Nutrient Management Strategy (commonly known
as the “Jordan Lake Rules”).
Aging wastewater treatment plants and infrastructure, and increased urbanization sends pollution
into the Haw, creating a major threat to the river’s long-term health. The North Carolina General
Assembly approved a cleanup plan to go into effect in 2009 after decades of negotiation and
compromise by all stakeholders. That cleanup plan has never been allowed to be fully
implemented, so the water quality continues to get worse.
Concern over delays with the cleanup plan has led American Rivers to list the Haw River as one
of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2014.
The Haw River flows 110 miles from the north-central Piedmont near Greensboro to the Cape
Fear River below Jordan Lake Reservoir. The river and its watershed provide drinking water to
nearly one million people (10% of the state’s population) living in and around the cities of
Greensboro, Burlington, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Durham. The Haw is the most popular white
water paddling river in the Piedmont, and Jordan Lake provides recreation for about 1 million
visitors a year for boating, swimming, camping, and fishing. The river is an economic driver for
the region, but its continued pollution will put that at risk.
This cleanup plan requires cities to upgrade wastewater systems, limit or eliminate new sources
of stormwater pollution, and reduce pollution from existing development over a long and
reasonable timeframe. This straightforward cleanup plan must be reinstated.
You have the opportunity in the short session of the North Carolina General Assembly this year
to resolve this problem by eliminating the legislative delays in the implementation of the cleanup
rules.
Thank you for your careful consideration of my position.
Sincerely,