Agenda - 10-21-1997 - 11a - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY STUDY SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES The Orange Water and Sewer Authority(OWASA)owns and operates the Cane Creek Reservoir as a water supply for residents of the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and portions of Orange County, North Carolina. OWASA commissioned the Cane Creek Watershed study to aid in developing management plans to protect the quality of the water supply into the next century(see Figure E-1 for a map of the study area). Given the current predominance of agricultural and forested land in the watershed, proper management of those land use activities n now the greatest concern for protection of the water supply. Over time, however, the character of land use is projected to shift to residential, presenting new challenges to protecting the water supply. Restrictions on either agricultural or land development activities to manage watershed impacts can impose burdens on local resided and land owners. A viable management plan to protect the water supply needs to address potential adverse water quality impacts while also avoiding imposition of unnecessary burdens on either residents or OWASA rate payers. To meet these multiple objectives,the scope of work for this study was developed with substantial input from a broad-based advisory committee of local elected officials, OWASA Board members and customers, watershed property owners,and technical experts. In June 1995, OWASA selected The Cadmus Group, Inc. to conduct the study. The original scope of work contained eleven tasks including collection and evaluation of existing reservoir and watershed data,development and application of modeling tools for prediction of future water quality in Cane Creek Reservoir under alternative management scenarios, and recommendation of a watershed protection plan. The latter task was modified, however, because OWASA and the advisory committee agreed that several of the feasible management alternatives under consideration warrant review and input from a larger segment of the community before selection of a final plan of action. The purpose of this report, therefore, is to provides a technical basis for the selection of a final management plan, and to communicate the study finding to date and the alternative management scenarios under consideration. OWASA's primary goal is expressed as follows: Mamtge the Cane Creak Reservoir to meet or exceed all applicable state and federal standards and to ' ensure its excellent water quality and long term viability as a public water supply resource. E-1