Minutes 12-06-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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,~ management plan for 1,900 acres, most of which are in Orange County. The plan calls for logging and herbicidal spraying of hundreds of acres around the Cane Creek Reservoir. The plan does not consider the unique circumstances that logging around a public water supply presents. He said that about 150 citizens showed up to a public meeting last week, including two of the County Commissioners. It became clear that the plan is a commercial forestry plan that did not take into consideration the critical and protected watershed. The five OWASA Board members were not fully informed of the risks and had to delay the decision to proceed to collect more information. He said that this response was encouraging. He encouraged the County Commissioners to pass a resolution stating official concern about this logging plan. He said that it was important to send this to OWASA by the company's January Board meeting. He said that he also submitted a document listing 20 reasons why this plan is not right for Orange County. He also submitted some pictures of the Wildlife Mitigation Tract off Buckhorn Road, which True North clear-cut for OWASA earlier this year. He said that the result of this was horrifying and incongruous with OWASA's aims of protecting local water quality. He made reference to a website devoted to this issue: www.chapelhillwater uality com. He asked the Board to please pass this resolution. The resolution is as follows: Resolution Regarding OWASA's Draft Forestry Plan for the Cane Creek Protected and Critical Watersheds Prepared for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners WHEREAS, OWASA's primary mission is to provide water and sewer services to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and portions of southeastern Orange County; WHEREAS, Cane Creek Reservoir is the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community's primary water source and represents a $20 million investment by OWASA and other entities including the taxpayer-funded Clean Water Management Trust Fund; WHEREAS, in April 2007, the OWASA Board of Directors adopted a sustainability policy which included permanent protection of the watershed and wildlife; minimizing land disturbing activities and mitigating their effects; and restoring and enhancing the natural quality of land under OWASA's control that has been degraded by OWASA's operations or others. WHEREAS, the consultant who drafted the "forestry management" plan for OWASA specializes in community forestry operations and did not sufficiently consult with independent environmental experts, ecologists, and water quality experts, and therefore the plan does not meet OWASA's primary sustainability goals for water quality. THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Orange County Board of County Commissioners will: 1. Request that the OWASA Board of Directors reject the draft forestry plan and replace it with a program targeted to improve water quality. 2. Ask OWASA to form an ad hoc citizen board consisting of water quality specialists, environment specialists (wildlife, aquatics, plants, cultural heritage), legal and business professionals, reservoir neighbors, and OWASA customers. 3. Send this signed resolution to OWASA before OWASA's January board meeting. Chair Pelissier said that the Board is concerned about water quality and it will refer this resolution to staff. 4