ORD-2003-110 Amendment to the Land Use Element - Orange County Comprehensive Plan

Browse Search

Attachment 2 • Excerpt from Section 2.3, Water Resources, of the Land Use Element - Orange County Comprehensive Plan The Long Range Water Management Strategy Committee had a different task, recommending the management strategy and financing option best able to supply Orange County with an adequate supply of water. The Committee also reviewed best supply options and, while agreement was not universal, leaned towards a new reservoir in Orange County as the best long -term source with Jordan Lake being pursued as a parallel option. The Committee agreed that the status quo was unacceptable, although no consensus was reached on an end water management structure. Because the Committee concluded that there were desirable benefits to a consolidated water and sewer entity, however, members chose to recommend incremental action as a first step towards meeting the long -range water needs of Orange County. To this end, the Committee recommended the creation of an Orange County Water Board, to be invested with five initial charges; 1) Pursue an allocation from Jordan Lake on behalf of the County and its water providers; 2) Pursue an inter -local agreements with water providers in Alamance County; 3) Work with the County's consulting engineers on Phase If of the Orange County Water Supply study, which would focus on more precise engineering and cost data for the water supply options recommended in the Orange County Water Supply Study, Phase I, released in November 1987; 4) Work cooperatively with the various water and sewer service providers and municipalities in the County, including Mebane and Durham, to identify and develop a joint agreement on service area boundaries (a task force composed of elected officials and staff from Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and OWASA developed over a period of seven years, a Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement and Map that depicts primary service areas and long -term interest areas. The Board of County Commissioners adopted the agreement in its final form on December 3, 2001. The Agreement and Map are incorporated as Appendix G to this plan); and, 5) Develop a water conservation program for all of Orange County. With the exception of the first charge, which was constrained by external time limits, no priorities were attached to these responsibilities.