Serious con_¶ict of interest: Survey commissioned had con_¶ict of interest

Jordan Lake is one of the primary water sources for our area. But a proposed commercial development is forcing the Durham Board of County Commissioners to reconsider the lake's boundaries.

The catch is that the new survey accepted by the commissioners was contracted by Neal Hunter a minority stakeholder in the very company that wants to build the development.

This is an explicit conflict of interest.

The proposed development is within the boundaries of the Jordan Lake critical watershed area" and thus would normally be subject to heightened regulation.

But Mr. Hunter's survey would shrink the boundaries of the watershed — thereby placing the development ""outside"" the critical area.

The Durham County commissioners have failed the people by allowing a watershed area to be redefined by someone who has a direct financial stake in the outcome.

Even if Mr. Hunter's survey was done perfectly" the conflict of interest alone should invalidate it for county use.

For this reason the Durham County commissioners owe area residents an impartial survey done by a third party.

If they don't choose to conduct another survey they must default back to the original watershed boundaries.

Either way Mr. Hunter's survey should not stand.

And even if the Durham County commissioners want to accept the tainted survey that doesn't give them the right to make a unilateral decision that affects other counties.

Jordan Lake barely protrudes into Durham County.

Most of it lies within Chatham County and Chatham County residents are the ones who will feel the effects of a polluted watershed.

Jordan Lake is already on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of impaired waters which means that the lake already has chemical imbalances. A new development would only make it worse.

At least the Durham County commissioners have done one thing right. They opened up the process to public hearings. Fifty-one people signed up to speak at the hearing last Monday.

But that's not enough. It is crucial that as many citizens as possible attend these hearings.

Up to this point the conflict has been a largely political one between developers county commissioners and interest groups.

But this is our lake. It's about time for the public to assert itself and stop this new survey and consider the negative effects on the watershed — before it's too late.