A lingering story that’s been on the backburner for a while.

The cities of Burlington, Graham and Mebane lawyer up in an effort to fight the Jordan Lake Rules:

Hiring the lawyers is money well-spent, they believe. Municipalities up and down the Haw River Basin fear the rules could cost hundreds of millions of dollars in retrofitting waste water systems and existing development to reduce phosphorous and nitrogen flowing downstream. Even more troubling, they aren’t sure the measures will fix the elevated nutrient levels in the lake.

If this issue has gotten recent coverage in the N&R, I’ve missed it (let me know if I have). Almost a year ago, Greensboro water resources director Allan Williams told the City Council that the Jordan Lake Rules would cost the region $1 billion and Greensboro $75 million, adding:

“I cannot in good conscience, after 30 years of being in this business and in this position, sit here and tell you that what this bill is going to do is going to achieve anything near the benefit that the state proposes,” Williams concluded. “They’re making no guarantees that any of this billion dollars will achieve what they say the desired effect is.”

Note the rules have been revised, and the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments will sponsor a briefing on those rules on May 20. Hopefully we’ll get appropriate coverage.