What would happen if the watershed management plan was not implemented?
If no action was taken, water quality in Carter Lake would continue to worsen. Nutrient concentrations naturally increase in lakes over time and these increases can be accelerated in urbanized watersheds due to runoff from rain events. As nutrients increase so does the frequency of algae blooms and the potential for more lake warnings being posted due to high concentrations of blue green algae toxins. In addition, the Cities of Omaha and Carter Lake have been issued permits by the States of Nebraska and Iowa which require the entities to control the pollutants in stormwater runoff as part of the Clean Water Act. At this time, the requirements of the permits allow flexibility in meeting the limits. If the proposed watershed plan was not implemented and the condition of Carter Lake continued to deteriorate, the permits would likely become more prescriptive and ultimately force the improvements to be carried out. Consequently, the respective cities would need to set aside city funding to
