“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work, reporting or approval of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com.
Urban Stream Syndrome and Orange County Watershed Stewardship
A perspective from John Dempsey
Coincidental with Orange County’s last Comprehensive Land Use Plan adopted in 2008 (CLUP 2030), the term Urban Stream Syndrome was being adopted by field researchers to describe the consistently observed degradation of creeks and streams feeding the rivers in areas under urban development.
We need to face the fact that the future health of Orange County’s fresh water resources is threatened by the amount of development that takes place under current development policies and practices. The more development – the more harm to our freshwater resources.
Any future CLUP must include UDO reforms that address the 17 years of peer-reviewed water resources, field research that has taken place since our current CLUP was adopted.
Absent UDO reforms, based on that scientific field research, those areas targeted for up-zoning in the new CLUP 2050 will degrade Orange County’s fresh water resources. Particularly hard hit will be our many headwater streams feeding both the Neuse and the Haw River watersheds such as those along the I-40 and I-85 corridors. One characteristic of headwater geography is that it contains more streams.
Current development practice focuses on hydrology but consistently ignores the biology and the chemistry of our streams and rivers. Policies better protecting the aquifer and the biota need to be incorporated into our development practices. Elected government representatives need to set the expectations for planning and development reforms based on current field research.
Our Planning and Inspections Department personnel are trained in current development industry policies and practices but need input from science researchers for true and effective reforms that will address and reverse the effects of Urban Stream Syndrome. A watershed manager would be a first step. Absent such science-based reforms the CLUP 2050 will only codify practices scientifically proven to be harmful to our water resources, negatively impacting the fresh water available for future generations.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
