Raleigh Public Record

Nonprofit, independent news for the Raleigh community

Archives for the ‘Environment’ Category

Wake County’s water quality report card

By Chrystal Bartlett • Jan 26th, 2010 • Category: Environment, Featured, News, The Latest

Tension is rife these days between Raleigh and Durham about Falls Lake water quality. Raleigh contends “its” water source – whose headwaters are located in Durham County – is dirty, getting dirtier and Durham allowed it to get that way.

Dirty water is neither cheap nor easy to clean. Raleigh may have to pay $450M to boost its water treatment plant’s cleaning capacity if Falls get dirtier. Durham likely would pay considerably more to clean Falls Lake. Finger pointing is all very fine, but everybody lives downstream.



Rainy summer closes Raleigh lakes

By Andrew Mayo • Aug 17th, 2009 • Category: Environment, News, The Latest

Public beach access closings in the Raleigh area are up five fold this year. City officials closed the beach area at Lake Wheeler again last week. High bacteria levels at Sandling and Beaverdam beaches and the YMCA’s Camp Kanata have also closed those beaches this summer.
High levels of Enterococci bacteria have caused concern for public [...]



Toxic Clean-Up Continues Near RDU

By Darcie Dearth • May 14th, 2009 • Category: Environment, News, The Latest

Reports from residents near Raleigh-Durham International Airport describe an outlandish scene – workers roaming in white, full-body hazmat suits while a billowing plume rises in the sky.