Orange County NC Website
Chair Gordon asked if Chatham County has asked Cary for access to their intake and <br />been turned down. <br />Peter Gordon said Chatham County can request increments of 100,000 gallons per day <br />from Cary. They have received them in the past, but they have received no guarantee of getting <br />increments in the future. <br />Bill Strom made reference to item `d' in the letter from Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates, <br />P. A. He read the sentence that says, "the Town of Cary has offered Chatham County the <br />opportunity to complete a hydraulic study to evaluate the effects of allowing the County access <br />to its 6 MGD allocation through the existing raw water intake." He said it may be that there is <br />enough implied capacity there to draw out a larger portion of the 6 MGD that Chatham County <br />has because there are additional pumping requirements to the Chatham County water plant <br />then there are to the Cary/Apex water plant. He said that Chatham County is going to look at <br />other options. <br />Chair Gordon said that Chatham County has infrastructure on the eastern side of the lake <br />because that is where they are drawing water from now. She asked if the problem is on the <br />intake and not on the piping. <br />Ed Kerwin said that what is keeping Chatham County from getting additional water is the <br />intake structure itself which is controlled by the Town of Cary. <br />Chair Gordon asked if the pipes would be sufficient if Chatham County could get more <br />water through the infrastructure. <br />Bill Strom made reference to page 11, item D and said that the piping capacity would be <br />studied. <br />Chair Gordon asked if they need to get 6 MGD all at once or 3 MGD. She asked what <br />Cary is required to allow them to do. <br />Ed Kerwin said that Cary owns and operates the single intake structure. In Chatham <br />County's view, Cary would need to expand and provide a facility to meet Chatham County's <br />needs while Cary takes care of its own needs. <br />Bill Strom said that he understands that the capacity may already exist with the existing <br />set up. There is less load on the pumps to pump to the Chatham County water site than to <br />Cary. <br />Chair Gordon said that it seems that it would be cheaper and easier for Chatham County <br />to access its allocation through the Cary structure, if Cary were cooperative. <br />Peter Gordon said he thinks that is why this is a contentious issue politically and <br />technically. Cary's preference is for a state agency like NCDENR to actually supervise and <br />control an intake facility. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if there was a downside to a situation where the state would <br />supervise something like this. <br />Peter Gordon said NCDENR would probably not pay for the facility. The major issue is <br />asking OWASA customers for more money now for a facility that will be built in the distant <br />future. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he is totally confused, and asked Pat Davis about his <br />explanation. <br />Pat Davis said that regarding the pump station, the concrete structure could be expanded. <br />The machinery needs to be upgraded to go beyond the current maximum pumping capacity. <br />There needs to be some pump improvements. At some point Chatham County would need to <br />expand the pipe coming out of the pump station to use their total 6 MGD. He said there could <br />be an interim opportunity to get some additional capacity out of that through some modest pump <br />station improvements. He said it is a very complex issue. <br />Commissioner Brown asked about the exchange with Durham and Chatham County, the <br />waterline, and the three million dollars that was appropriated. She asked who appropriated the <br />three million dollars, and why. <br />Pat Davis said that because of the situation that Chatham County has been in with respect <br />to not being able to get access to their current allocation of water on Jordan Lake, they have <br />been looking at other options. One of the options has been the possibility of establishing