Agenda - 05-05-1997 - 9c - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 T=: NVESTIGATION OF GROUND-WATER AVAI1LAB11JTY AND QUALITY IN ORANGE COUNTY,N.C. INTRODUCTION: Studies of Orange County's ground-water resources are needed to overcome a significant deficiency in information related to the resource. The County proposes to employ information about the quantity,quality and location of ground-water resources provided by these studies to develop a database which will be utilized to evaluate ground-water quality and quantity and potential threats to the resource. This information,in turn.will enable the County to develop policies to protect and manage the source of water which currently supplies approximately 40 percent of the County's population. This information will become even more important as the county's rural population increases and surface-water resources are fully allocated. A pilot study was conducted by the U.S.Geological Survey(USGS)during 1995-1996. The pilot study,"Ground-Water Recharge to the Regolith-Fractured Crystalline Rock Aquifer System,Orange County,N.C.,"determined recharge rates in twelve drainage basins and subbasins of the County(fig. 1). The proposed"Investigation of Ground Water Availability and Quality"will build on information provided by the 1995-19%USGS study. Data on ground-water availability,use,and water quality that is to be gathered in the proposed study will supplement the information provided by the USGS recharge study,enabling the County to learn mote about the area's carrying capacity or"the amount of ground water that can be removed from the ground-water system without exceeding recharge or depleting long- term storage." The study will also identify potential water-quality problems,both natural and anthropogenic,that may restrict utilization of ground water for potable supplies. PROBLEM: Water supplies for rural residents in Orange County,like most counties in North Carolina,are provided primarily by wells. There has recently been public concern about contaminated ground water and availability of water supplies in Orange County. Although there have been a few studies that have investigated ground water in Orange County over the last 50 years,these studies are,in most cam,regional studies that include Orange County as part of large,multi-tarty study areas and study results tend to be general in nature. Development in rural areas of the County will require reliable water supplies and,to plan for this development.comprehensive, detailed studies of ground-water resources in the County are needed. In addition,there currently is no baseline ground-water quality data base that can be used to reliably evaluate ground water quality. Thus,utilization of ground water to meet expected future increases in demand for water supplies will require better knowledge of(1)ground-water availability,and(2)ground-water qty.