Minutes - 20050215 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TriangleSings! - Carol Robbins Adam Sobsey - (not present) Women's Voices Chorus - Mary Lycan b. OWASA Presentation on its Mitigation Lands and Utility Extension Reimbursement Policy The Board was provided information and an opportunity for discussion on issues -use of Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) wildlife mitigation lands and OWASA utility extension reimbursement policy -raised by the Board by means of a letter from the Chair to OWASA and provided feedback to staff. OWASA Board Chair Mark Marcoplos highlighted issues that OWASA is dealing with. The reuse project is moving along and they received a $1.8 million grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund followed by $645,000 from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency due in large part to Congressman Price's advocacy of the project. The project will be completed around 2007 and will save OWASA 500-700,000 gallons of water a day, which is roughly 8% of their demand. There is also very good cooperation with the University on this project. The first annual Sustainability Report will be distributed soon. Another major project going on is at the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plan, which is a $45 million upgrade. This is also slated to be finished around 2007. They are looking at an interim milestone for odor improvements completed toward the end of this year. Recently, there was an issue with same customers on the Orange/Chatham County line at Starpoint. They are in Chatham County but on the OWASA system and the pressure was a problem because they are up on a hill. This problem is very expensive to fix, and they discussed with the residents and Chatham County and the residents will now be served by Chatham County. Bernadette Pelissier, Orange County representative on the OWASA Board, spoke about the water conservation goal and said that they have been looking at water conservation management practices. They have to figure out which ones to implement. The first one they selected was the water reuse project, and they need to do something beyond that and develop a goal statement for water conservation. She read the proposed general goal, which has not been approved by the board yet, but has been discussed several times. The goal is "To develop, fund, and implement acost-effective water conservation and demand management program that meets our community's long-term water needs (through the year 2050} by making the highest and best use of our local water resources, and eliminate the need for costly new water supply sources and facilities." She said that they do not want to have to find any other water resources beyond what they already have in Orange County, which includes University Lake, Cane Creek Reservoir, and the stone quarry. The major goal is to defer expansion of the water treatment plant by minimizing peak demand. Bernadette Palissier made reference to the mitigation land. She said that the original agreement with the reservoir was that OWASA would provide hunting around the reservoir. The permit should have said that there would be hunting on the mitigation land. They have had the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to come to their board, and the Natural Resources and Technical Systems Committee has discussed this at several meetings and has made progress. They made a general proposal to the Wildlife Resources Commission to have deer hunting through most of the season (bow and arrow} with one week of muzzle loading hunting, which would require a permit. This would occur three days a week. The Wildlife Resources Commission has agreed to have a local public hearing on March 8t" at the Cane Creek Community Center. She said that this provision would be helpful because at this time there are all-terrain vehicles that come onto the land and OWASA does not have law