Minutes 04-13-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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these) are made based on longer term needs of up to 30 years. Attachment 2 lists the jurisdictions and utilities which currently have Jordan Lake water supply allocations. The JLP formerly asked the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to reopen the water supply allocation process in late 2009. DWR held a Public Information meeting concerning Round 4 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Storage Allocation process on February 24, 2010. At this meeting, DWR staff discussed the procedures they intend to follow during the allocation request process. DWR requested potential applicants for Jordan Lake water to submit a "Letter of Interest" by April 1, 2010. This "Letter of Interest" does not represent a commitment to obtaining an allocation or to using water from Jordan Lake, rather it is to identify potential applicants and assist with the basin water supply planning process. Information on the Jordan Lake Allocation process and Orange County's Allocation Request are provided in Attachment 3. DWR anticipates that the allocation process could continue through late 2010, longer if InterBasin Transfer (IBT) certificates are needed. A number of steps remain to be completed prior to allocation, as shown in the attachment. These include reexamining the safe yield of Jordan Lake, climate change impacts, and updating the Cape Fear Basin Hydrologic Model. County staff has been working with the Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) to develop basic information about a future Orange County allocation request. As previously sated, the County has held a 1 MGD allocation for Jordan Lake water since 1988. Since Orange County does not own or operate a water system, nor does it plan to do so, any delivery of Jordan Lake water to residents of the County must occur through a partner utility. Several potential partners exist: The City of Durham, the Towns of Hillsborough and Mebane, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) and the Orange-Alamance Water System (OAWS). DWR has requested water demand estimates from applicants which project through 2060. DWR is also planning on having workshops after April 2010 at which it will present allocation application information. Draft County projections developed to date may be found in Attachment 4. Dave Stancil said that Orange County, as a stakeholder in this process, is the one entity that is not a water provider. As the County moves forward, there is a need to work with a partner organization. He said that decisions need to be made about the allocation and whether it needs to be increased. The Recommendations are to: - Receive information - Discuss proposed process and projections - Confirm pursuing allocation process (increased allocation? Retain current?) - Authorize Manager and staff to begin discussions with potential partners Craig Benedict made reference to Attachment 4 and said that allocations in the future could add up to 3 MGD 50 years from now. He said that this is an opportunity to plan ahead. Dave Stancil said that Orange County needs to remain a player at the table and needs to benefit from this since it works so hard to protect the water. He said that staff will probably come back in the fall with a proposal for increasing an allocation. He asked the County Commissioners to authorize the Manager and staff to begin discussions with partners. Commissioner Yuhasz asked how much it cost to have allocations and Dave Stancil said about $2,300 a year for a Level II allocation of 1 MGD. Frank Clifton said that Orange County is not in the utility business, but it is dependent on utilities for the economic development.