Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
13 <br />(a) Drought condition shortage. OWASA shall base its determination of existing or <br />potential water shortage conditions on its analysis of reservoir levels, streamflow, <br />existing and anticipated demand, availability of supplemental supplies, as well as other <br />elements of reasonable professional judgment and management. The determination of <br />drought shortage conditions shall be guided by periodic estimates of the risk (i.e., <br />probability) that water stored in OWASA's reservoir system will decline to unacceptably <br />low levels within the foreseeable future. Until improved or alternative criteria are <br />developed, such guidance shall be based on a five percent or greater risk that total <br />reservoir storage will decline to 20 percent or less of total storage capacity within an 18 <br />month period. This guidance shall apply to the initial declazation of a water supply <br />shortage or emergency and shall inform subsequent declarations of more or less severe <br />water supply shortages or emergencies. <br />(b) Water treatment, storage, or distribution capacity shortage. In addition to <br />conditions caused by drought, OWASA may declaze a water supply shortage or . <br />emergency whenever customer demand - as averaged over three consecutive days - <br />~xceed 85 percent of OWASA's capability of treating and delivering water. The stage and <br />duration of such a water supply shortage or emergency shall be guided by the degree to <br />which customer demands approach or exceed OWASA's capacity to meet those demands, <br />and by the degree to which conservation efforts successfully reduce short-tenor demands. <br />(c) Natural and manmade disasters and catastrophic equipment and plantfailure <br />shortage Any other circumstances, including service losses caused by equipment or <br />facility failure, human error, deliberate act, weather, or other natural disaster; which <br />constrain OWASA's water supply, treatment, or distribution capacity to less than that <br />reasonably needed by its customers, shall constitute a water supply shortage up to and <br />including a water supply emergency, requiring immediate action by OWASA. <br />(Ord. of 6-26-2003, § IV) <br />Sec. 36-66. Required actions under water supply shortage or emergency conditions. <br />In the event of a water supply shortage, OWASA shall, using its best professional <br />judgment, determine which of the following stages is the most appropriate response to the <br />estimated level of risk. <br />(a) In the event of a water supply shortage, OWASA shall, using its best professional <br />judgment, determine which of the following stages is the most appropriate response to the <br />estimatede level of risk considering the factors set out in subsections (a) and (b) of 36-65, <br />above. <br />(b) Stage one water shortage. In the event that OWASA declazes a stage one water <br />shortage, OWASA shall advise the Mayors of Carrboro and Chapel Hill and the Chair of <br />the Orange County Board of Commissioners of its declazation and shall request that they <br />issue proclamations of water supply shortage. Under these circumstances, the Chair of the <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners is authorized to issue a proclamation invoking <br />the provisions of this division applicable to a stage one water shortage. Upon the issuance <br />of such a proclamation by the Chair of the Orange County Boazd of Commissioners, the <br />following actions shall be taken with the goal of reducing overall water demand by ten <br />percent: <br />1. Spray irrigation of turf grass using OWASA-supplied potable water shall not occur <br />more than one day per week with a maximum of one-half inch of water applied to plant <br />