Minutes 03-12-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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which makes this necessary. He said that there is need for an engineering study to see how water is moved around. He reviewed the Growth Pattern map and said the green area represents 84% of the county and is the area not intended for public water and sewer. He reviewed the Future Land Use Map and said the purpose of this is to designate urban growth boundaries, and the 8,000 acres of land that are not in the ETJ areas of Durham, Hillsborough, or Mebane. He reviewed the chart outlining the use designations and zoning districts of the acreage. He said some of the information in the chart contains assumptions used to develop the water usage needs. He said the multiplier designates how much acreage could be developed and not be encumbered by environmental issues. With residential areas the PPH is for persons per household and the APH is households per acre. In non-residential areas the GPA is for gallons per acre. Craig Benedict said the next chart shows the math behind the numbers. He said this is adjustable if needed and is just part of the start of the application process. He said there is ongoing discussion regarding interconnection and pipe sizes. He said that part of the interconnection study will look at not only where water is taken from, but where it is released to. He referenced the Draft Application Guidelines and said that the state will likely not just accept this request without asking about what other water sources have been looked at. He said other resources are being considered, analyzed, and discussed. He said there will need to be collaboration with the utility partners in this process. He gave timelines of October 1 for the draft application, and early 2013 for the final draft. He said there is a lot of work to be done on a state level to determine the actual safe water yield of Jordan Lake, before making water requests. He said that work will be done in partnership with utility partners in Durham, and Mebane. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the application just comes from Orange County and partners are just part of the collaborative process. Craig Benedict answered yes and said that the 8000 acres of urban area are outside of the ETJ of Durham, Hillsborough, or Mebane so those water supply plans do not include water resource allocations. He said he feels that water should be tied into the current utility agreements. Chair Jacobs noted that this was all based on Orange County's increased water request and increased financial commitment, which makes for a more rigorous process. Commissioner Rich asked if all new agreements will be drawn up. Craig Benedict said not necessarily, that a determination will be made, of the best way to handle this with their partners. He said that the Jordan Lake application might be as simple as a memorandum of understanding with the City of Durham. Commissioner Rich asked how long the agreements are written for. Craig Benedict said the agreements with Mebane and Durham are unlimited. He said that in the case of Mebane, there is an unlimited agreement for a certain area and water allocations have been reserved for ten years. He said that things might have to be made more finite with the utility providers in the future. 2. Upper Neuse River Basin Association/Falls Lake Watershed Rules Dave Stancil, Director of the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) said there is a long history of water protection in Orange County and the discussion tonight will be regarding the Upper Neuse and Falls River Lake Watershed area, which includes: Cedar Grove, Little River Township, Efland, Hillsborough and points east. He