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March 16, 1999 <br /> Mr. Daniel C. VanderMeer, Chair <br /> Board of Directors <br /> Orange Water and Sewer Authority <br /> PO Box 366 <br /> Carrboro,NC 27510-0366 <br /> Dear Mr. VanderMeer: <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners offers the following comments regarding the <br /> local water supply and water quality protection issues discussed at the October 1, 1998 meeting <br /> involving Orange and Chatham Counties,the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, <br /> and OWASA. <br /> Clearly our region's explosive growth makes it imperative that all local jurisdictions work <br /> together to protect the quality of all of our natural resources and promote the most <br /> environmentally sound usage of those resources. <br /> Orange County is located in the upper portions of a number of important and <br /> environmentally sensitive water supply river systems. Consequently we are acutely conscious of <br /> the need to be judicious in our efforts to be good stewards of our available water resources, and <br /> of the need to work with the local governmental jurisdictions within and adjacent to Orange <br /> County to develop the strategies and accomplish the goals consistent with that stewardship. <br /> In accordance with this philosophy,the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> commends OWASA on its efforts to bring stakeholders in local water supply issues together to <br /> discuss issues of mutual concern. Relative to the issues raised at the October V meeting,the <br /> Board of County Commissioners is of course interested in facilitating a solution for Chatham <br /> County's water needs. Since there have been additional discussions on this issue since <br /> October V, it would be very helpful for Orange County to receive clarification concerning the <br /> options open to Chatham County at the present time, including Chatham County's preferred <br /> solution. If an intake on the western side of Jordan Lake is the preferred option,then Orange <br /> County would be interested in having discussion with OWASA; state and federal authorities <br /> controlling access to and allocation of Jordan Lake water supplies; other local jurisdictions <br /> having interest in Jordan Lake's available water supplies; and Chatham County, in consultation <br />