At the April 1983 meeting of the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen, Board members urged the City Manager to develop guidelines for protecting the Salem Lake watershed, a source of 40 percent of the city-county drinking water supply. Board members stressed the importance of protecting this valuable community asset. The Salem Lake watershed is located in the northeastern part of Forsythe County. The watershed is approximately 16,000 acres, or 25 square miles, and is relatively small compared to the areas of Jordan or Falls of the Neuse watersheds. Salem Lake's watershed is situated in three governmental jurisdictions: the town of Kernersville , the city of Winston-Salem, and the county of Forsythe, which have zoning control over 37, 41, and 32 percent of the area, respectively.