news-record.com

A state-mandated water cleanup plan with an $850 million price tag
is sparking debate in local governments across Alamance County, the
Town of Elon among them.

At Monday night's Board of Aldermen agenda session, board members
discussed the possible long-term ramifications of the Jordan Lake
Rules, established by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources in response to federal regulations requiring the reduction of
nutrients (primarily phosphorous and nitrogen) in rivers and basins
across the country.

Town manager Mike Dula said the rules are in the final stages and will be in the legislature this winter and spring.

For Elon, the ordinances will attempt to mandate practices to reduce
nutrient loads in stormwater before it reaches Jordan Lake. The rules
requires retrofitting certain streets and neighborhoods and calls for
an eight percent reduction in nutrients beginning five years from now,
Dula said. The cost of the changes is estimated at $850 million, with
the town paying $30 million, he said.

"We can't do that," Dula said, adding that $30 million is the equivalent of four years of the town's budget.

The cost and effectiveness of these regulations have been points of
discussion in many Alamance County local governments, Dula said, and
support for the effort varies.

"All the local governments in this county are talking about this," Dula said.

Board members also reviewed the first meeting of the Library
Building Committee, which was Dec. 18. Dula, an ex-officio member of
the committee, reported that the staff will present a draft
architectural request for proposal at the next meeting. Once approved,
this document will be sent to architectural firms in the area and used
to attract architects to make bids to build the library. Presentations
from competing architects will probably begin this summer, Dula said.

The next Library Building Committee will be at 10 a.m. Jan. 14.
Subsequent meetings will take place as needed at 10 a.m. on the third
Thursday of each month.