Agenda - 02-02-1999 - 9f - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Mr. Daniel C. VanderMeer February 2, 1999 page 2 Generally, the Board of County Commissioners views utility assessment and extension policy as one component of a larger and more comprehensive utility policy involving not only cost and cost allocation considerations but also efforts to: 1) deal with growth concerns and impacts attributable to utility extension: 2) address ability to pay, affordable housing and equity concerns attendant to various utility extension financing strategies; and 3) protect the public and public health by melding utility extension strategies with strategies to ensure that single family and community on-site utility systems become more reliable and of minimal environmental impact. Accordingly, the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Health have, for a number of years, been working to develop programs and regulations that will protect the health of the public and preserve the environment as the County develops. Much time on the part of elected and appointed officials, including OWASA representatives, members of various ad hoc committees, and staff has been expended in efforts to identify, evaluate and address individual components of the larger utility issues. Examples and results of these activities include: • Utility extension and on-site wastewater treatment policy elements of the watershed protection sections of the zoning and subdivision ordinances dating from 1992 -see Attachment A • Utility extension elements of the County Water and Sewer Policy and the appendix to the Joint Planning Agreement -see Attachment B The existing Wastewater Treatment Monitoring Plan (WTMP) ,approved in 1994 see Attachment C The County is also working on proposals to expand the Waste Treatment Monitoring Program (WTMP) to include single family conventional gravity flow septic tank systems. Furthermore, the County has interacted with the other local jurisdictions within the County and with OWASA on the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force. This group has been instrumental in developing proposals related to the designation of "Adverse Public Health Condition" for use in lieu of the more stringent public health declarations in dealing with wastewater/water treatment emergencies. The so called "tool bag" approach to providing specific guidance for remediation of cases of on-site wastewater and water treatment system failures has been yet another outgrowth of the County's activities with the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force. In addition, the County has also formally addressed utility construction/ extension funding equity issues in conjunction with Chapel Hill's 1997 request for County funding of the Morgan Creek community sewer line. •