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s- <br />D~3Glff~ <br />March 16, 1999 <br />Mr. Daniel C. VanderMeer, Chair <br />Board of Directors <br />Orange Water and Sewer Authority <br />PO Box 366 <br />Carrboro, NC 27510-0366 <br />Dear Mr. VanderMeer: <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners offers the following comments regarding the <br />local water supply and water quality protection issues discussed at the October 1, 1998 meeting <br />involving Orange and Chatham Counties, the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, <br />and OWASA. <br />Clearly our region's explosive growth makes it imperative that all local jurisdictions work <br />together to protect the quality of all of our natural resources and promote the most <br />environmentally sound usage of those resources. <br />Orange County is located in the upper portions of a number of important and <br />environmentally sensitive water supply river systems. Consequently we are acutely conscious of <br />the need to be judicious in our efforts to be good stewards of our available water resources, and <br />of the need to work with the local governmental jurisdictions within and adjacent to Orange <br />County to develop the strategies and accomplish the goals consistent with that stewardship. <br />In accordance with this philosophy, the Orange County $oard of Commissioners <br />commends OWASA on its efforts to bring stakeholders in local water supply issues together to <br />discuss issues of mutual concern. Relative to the issues raised at the October ls` meeting, the <br />Board of County Commissioners is of course interested in facilitating a solution for Chatham <br />County's water needs. Since there have been additional discussions on this issue since <br />October 1 ~, it would be very helpful for Orange County to receive clarification concerning the <br />options open to Chatham County at the present time, including Chatham County's preferred <br />solution. If an intake on the western side of Jordan Lake is the preferred option, then Orange <br />County would be interested in having discussion with OWASA; state and federal authorities <br />controlling access to and allocation of Jordan Lake water supplies; other local jurisdictions <br />having interest in Jordan Lake's available water supplies; and Chatham County, in consultation <br />