Orange County NC Website
and additional information on soil. The Planning Board recommended approval <br />conditions. The complete presentation is incorporated herein by reference. <br />report is in the permanent agenda file in the Clerk's office. <br />with 36 <br />A copy of said <br />COMMISSIONER HALKIOTIS stated that in the 36 conditions, the county is mentioned <br />repeatedly. He questioned if this means the expansion of county bureaucracy to meet the <br />needs of these special kinds of systems. It appears that another substructure of . <br />government to handle these types of systems may be necessary. <br />COUNTY MANAGER JOHN LINK indicated that additional staff would be needed within the <br />Environmental Health section of the Health Department. However, he stated that they have <br />determined that the best approach to fund additional personnel would be through user fees <br />and assessments on those who benefit directly from these systems. He assured the <br />Commissioners that the County taxpayers would not be burdened with monitoring these <br />alternative systems. He also stated that he wanted to separate this from the other issue <br />of monitoring and repairing septic tanks. Some of that work may in fact be suitable to be <br />financed by county tax revenue. The Health Board has not yet reported on exactly how the <br />revenue would be generated. He stressed that alternative systems need to be funded by the <br />homeowners and beneficiaries of that system. <br />CHAIRMAN CAREY agreed that a mechanism needs to be set up to be sure these systems are <br />self-supporting. <br />JOHN LINK and the Health Department agreed with the recommendations of the water <br />subcommittee of the joint Orange/Chatham work group as it pertains to alternative systems. <br />The Health Board's recommendations go beyond alternative systems but also deal with the <br />monitoring and operation of septic tanks. He indicated that the latter recommendations <br />will be even more important because septic tanks fail daily. <br />Citizens who wished to speak on the McLennan's Farm proposal were sworn in by Clerk <br />Beverly Blythe. <br />MS. VERLA INSKO, a citizen of Orange County and a consumer of water from University <br />Lake, emphasized how fortunate it is to have clean water. She urged the Commissioners to <br />take steps that would prevent degradation of the University Lake water supply. Early <br />intervention is the least costly way to deal with the problem. She requested that the <br />Board of Commissioners take. into consideration the deliberations of other committees. She <br />asked that.all.their decisions have as a high priority .the preservation of the quality of <br />the water in University Lake. <br />MR. ALAN SPALT, of James Street in Carrboro and a member of Protect Our Water, asked <br />that the Board of Commissioners reject this subdivision because it is not in accordance <br />with the OWASA Watershed Study. The issue is that the area in question is about twice as <br />dense as the recommended density far the preservation of water quality in University Lake. <br />He stated that it would be very difficult for anyone to follow the 36 conditions as <br />recommended by the Planning Board and even more difficult to enforce them. He mentioned <br />some of the difficulties he saw in attempting to enforce these conditions. He stated that <br />the real problem is that this development should not be permitted. He asked that the Board <br />of Commissioners enact a moratorium, as OWASA and Carrboro did in the watershed until the <br />recommendations of the Watershed Study are considered and adapted. <br />MR. LEON TODD stated that this alternate waste system is different from other systems <br />only because it has one extra tank with a pump. Another difference is that these systems <br />are going to be monitored on a regular, routine schedule. No septic system in the county <br />