Orange County NC Website
uphold the Constitution core idea that man's life, liberty and property not being subject to <br />uncontrolled power of the state. This is not a benefit to her or her property. She asked that the <br />two acre minimum be upheld and that the five-acre minimum be denied. <br />Mr. Alan Spalt, a Carrboro resident and a member of the Cane Creek Watershed Study <br />Committee, stated that that Committee undertook a thorough, balanced and open study of the <br />watershed water protection situation. Its too much to expect that everyone agree with the results <br />but it is fair to say that people went into this with the expectation that measures substantially <br />different that those required for University Lake would be required to protect Cane Creek. They <br />learned when the first phase of the consultants report came back, that although Cane Creek is a <br />high quality water supply, it is not as high as was originally expected nor is it free from substantial <br />vulnerability from activities in the watershed both natural and from agricultural and development <br />use. There is stratification of the water and high manganese content in the lower water that is <br />somewhat problematic. There is also the potential for and actuality of algae blooms in the water <br />that make it such that it requires more protection than was anticipated. When the technical work <br />was done they were faced with the situation that instead of being substantially different than <br />University Lake it turned out to be comparable. The recommendations that are before you, which <br />probably seem familiar, are comparable to those in University Lake. They have attempted to try <br />to provide measures of compensation to deal with issues affecting the community. However, they <br />are faced with a situation where prevention, through watershed protection, is by far the best <br />measure. It is the safest way to protect the water supply. Engineering solutions are used in <br />treating the finished water but the end of the pipe kinds of solutions are not as good or as reliable. <br />As water standards become tighter, the prevention strategies are more desirable. The phrase <br />that the "current watershed protection that is in place now is insufficient to prevent deterioration of <br />the water quality" is the key. The kind of recommendations that are before you are to provide that <br />protection for the water quality. In regard to the Flexible Development Plan he asked that they <br />look very carefully at the record of Community Water Systems and Waste Water Treatments <br />Systems, before approving any kind of proposal that would allow that kind of system. He <br />mentioned the situation in University Lake where a company described as "the Cadillac of private- <br />public utility companies" installed alternative systems. In the last ten years, every one of the <br />systems installed by that company has gone bad and has been bailed out by local governments <br />or residents. The company itself is bankrupt. These are problematic systems. <br />Mr. Carl Shy stated that the issue here is one of disequity in the treatment of the people <br />who are residents in the Cane Creek Watershed. They would lose some of the economic <br />potential for development of this land. There are no provisions being made for the loss of this <br />economic opportunity. The issue is protecting the watershed which is based on the amount of <br />discharge. Two five-acre properties could have more discharge than five two-acre properties. <br />The real issue is to protect the watershed from discharge. There must be other options that would <br />limit discharge so that there is not an excess of discharge from the two-acre lots. Technology <br />could be used to limit the discharge. The Air Quality Act is a good example of an emission <br />budget being issued. Then emissions were considered as a whole in the budgeted area. <br />Something similar could be established with regard to the discharge within the entire watershed. <br />People could decide on their own if they wanted to develop at two-acres. People with more land <br />could be compensated if they did not develop. If this proposal is implemented, there would be no <br />Q:\19981123.doc®