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DRAFT <br />April 13, 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 local <br />water supply and water quality protection issues discussed at the October 1, 1998 meeting involving <br />Orange and Chatham Counties, the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, and OWASA. <br />Clearly our region's explosive growth makes it imperative that all local jurisdictions work together <br />to protect the quality of all of our natural resources and promote the most environmentally sound usage of <br />those resources. <br />Orange County is located in the upper portions of a number of important and environmentally <br />sensitive water supply river systems. Consequently we are acutely conscious of the need to be judicious <br />in our efforts to be good stewards of our available water resources, and of the need to work with the local <br />governmental jurisdictions within and adjacent to Orange County to develop the strategies and accomplish <br />the goals consistent with that stewardship. <br />In accordance with this philosophy, the Orange County Board of Commissioners commends <br />OWASA on its efforts to bring stakeholders in local water supply issues together to discuss issues of <br />mutual concern. Relative to the issues raised at the October 1 S` meeting, the Board of County <br />Commissioners is of course interested in facilitating a solution for Chatham County's water needs. Since <br />there have been additional discussions on this issue since October 15~, it would be very helpful for Orange <br />County to receive clarification concerning the options open to Chatham County at the present time, <br />including Chatham County's preferred solution. If an intake on the western side of Jordan Lake is the <br />preferred option, then Orange County encourages Chatham County to work with OWASA to develop a <br />plan to provide access to Jordan Lake water supplies for Chatham County. Any such plan should <br />