AN ACT to direct the Department of environmental quality to study and report on the jordan lake nutrient MANAGEMENT strategy.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Department of Environmental Quality (Department) shall conduct a study and analysis of nutrient management strategies and compilation of existing water quality data pertaining to Jordan Lake. As part of this study, the Department shall do all of the following:

(1)        Review data collected by the Department and other stakeholders from water sampling (including the study conducted by the University of North Carolina pursuant to Section 14.13(c) of S.L. 2016‑94, as amended) in areas subject to the Jordan Lake Water Supply Nutrient Strategies (Strategies).

(2)        Compare trends in water quality to the implementation of the various elements of each of the Strategies and evaluate the extent to which those elements are resulting in improvements in water quality.

(3)        Examine data regarding natural background conditions for total nitrogen and total phosphorus in Jordan Lake, and internal loading of those nutrients, and evaluate whether portions of the Strategies imposing nutrient reduction requirements on upstream users will lower levels of chlorophyll‑a.

(4)        Evaluate and determine additional actions or funding needed to revise water quality criteria in order to produce realistic, achievable site‑specific criteria that ensure that Jordan Lake maintains all designated uses in the most cost‑effective manner.

SECTION 2.  The Department shall report to the Environmental Review Commission and the Environmental Management Commission no later than January 31, 2027, with interim reports no later than January 31, 2026, and July 31, 2026. The final report shall include any statutory or regulatory changes necessary to implement the recommendations made in the report.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.