North Carolina General Statutes 143B-135.234. North Carolina Land and Water Fund
(a) Fund Established. – The North Carolina Land and Water Fund is established as a special revenue fund to be administered by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The North Carolina Land and Water Fund shall also be known by its original name, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The Fund receives revenue from the following sources and may receive revenue from other sources:
(1) Annual appropriations.
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 143B-135.234
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) Special registration plates under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-81.12
(3) Other special registration plates under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-79.7
(4) Hazard mitigation funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies.
(b) Fund Earnings, Assets, and Balances. – The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separate and apart from all other moneys, funds, and accounts. Any balance remaining in the Fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the Fund for the next succeeding fiscal year. Payments from the Fund shall be made on the warrant of the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
(c) Fund Purposes. – Moneys from the Fund are appropriated annually to finance projects to clean up or prevent surface water pollution and for land preservation in accordance with this Part. Revenue in the Fund may be used for any of the following purposes:
(1) To acquire land for riparian buffers for the purposes of providing environmental protection for surface waters and drinking water supplies and establishing a network of riparian greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational uses.
(2) To acquire conservation easements or other interests in real property for the purpose of protecting and conserving surface waters and enhancing drinking water supplies, including the development of water supply reservoirs.
(3) To coordinate with other public programs involved with lands adjoining water bodies to gain the most public benefit while protecting and improving water quality.
(4) To restore previously degraded lands to reestablish their ability to protect water quality.
(5) To facilitate planning that targets reductions in surface water pollution.
(6) To finance innovative efforts, including pilot projects, to improve stormwater management, to reduce pollutants entering the State’s waterways, to improve water quality, and to research alternative solutions to the State’s water quality problems.
(7) To prevent encroachment, provide buffers, and preserve natural habitats around military installations or military training areas, or for State matching funds of federal initiatives that provide funds to prevent encroachment, provide buffers, and preserve natural habitats around military installations or military training areas.
(8) To acquire land that represents the ecological diversity of North Carolina, including natural features such as riverine, montane, coastal, and geologic systems and other natural areas to ensure their preservation and conservation for recreational, scientific, educational, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
(9) To acquire land that contributes to the development of a balanced State program of historic properties.
(10), (11) Repealed by Session Laws 2015-241, s. 14.4, effective July 1, 2015.
(12) To protect and restore floodplains and wetlands for the purpose of storing water, reducing flooding, improving water quality, providing wildlife and aquatic habitat, and providing recreational opportunities.
(d) Repealed by Session Laws 2015-241, s. 14.4, effective July 1, 2015. (1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 18, s. 27.6(a); 2001-424, s. 32.17; 2003-340, s. 1.3; 2004-179, s. 4.4; 2005-454, s. 5; 2007-549, s. 2; 2011-145, s. 13.26(b); 2011-374, s. 2.2; 2013-360, s. 14.3(d); 2014-100, ss. 14.13A(b), 14.21(b); 2015-241, ss. 14.4, 14.30(k1), (r1), (w); 2017-197, s. 4.12; 2019-32, s. 1(a); 2020-69, s. 5.1; 2023-70, s. 9(e).)