Orange County NC Website
24 <br /> ExEcumvE SummARy <br /> Education and Outreach <br /> One of the first steps to implementing a water supply protection plan is to ensure that parties responsible for <br /> implementation understand the plan objectives and what each party needs to do. Cadmus recommends that <br /> OWASA use public meetings and ongoing forums (e.g., Soil and Water Conservation District Board of <br /> Supervisors meetings)to raise public awareness of the final plan and seek support for implementation. <br /> Monitoring Implementation and Evaluating Performance <br /> Neither complete buildout of the watershed nor full implementation of the protection plan is likely to occur <br /> immediately following plan adoptiom It will be important for OWASA to continue to monitor changes in land <br /> use/land cover within the watershed as well as water quality in the reservoir and finished water supply. <br /> Additionally, the timing of implementation actions should be documented where construction of control or <br /> treatment structures is used, or new management operations are employed on a large scale, to be able to <br /> analyze water quality responses to those management actions over time. Key water quality indicators to <br /> continue monitoring include: <br /> 1. Chlorophyll-a as indicator for algal bloom occurrence <br /> 2. Blue-Green Algae species identification as indicator of algal toxin potential <br /> 3. Total Phosphorus and Total Nurogen as indicators for evaluating eutrophication trends <br /> 4. Manganese to guide treatment operation adjustments to avoid aesthetic problems in finished water <br /> S. Total Organic Carbon to guide treatment operation adjustments to avoid creating unacceptable levels of <br /> disinfection by-products in finished water <br /> 6. Dissolved Oxygen to guide treatment operation adjustments and as an indicator of lake ecosystem health <br /> 7. Secchi Depth as a measure of water clarity and an indicator of in-lake conditions for aesthetic and <br /> recreational enjoyment <br /> 8. Fecal streptoca and Clostridium perilhogens should be considered for use as surrogates for microbial <br /> pathogen risk <br /> Additionally,regular strategic monitoring in watershed tributaries should be continued at a minimum of three <br /> stations for basic water chemistry, nutrients, and biological parameters. This will provide a basis to monitor <br /> water quality response to changes in land use in the watershed and track effectiveness of management <br /> practices. To maintain periodic analyses of toxins in the raw water supply, Cadmus recommends continued <br /> raw water monitoring such as currently conducted in the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project. <br /> OWASA's continued participation in the American Water Works Association Research Foundation study for <br /> monitoring presence of algal toxins in water supplies is also recommended. <br /> PERIODIC PLAN UPDATE <br /> Watershed management should not be considered a one-time planning event. Conditions, concerns, priorities, <br /> management goals, and implementation capabilities all change over time, and a strong watershed management <br /> approach is one that can adapt accordingly. Increasingly, governments and organizations involved in <br /> watershed management are establishing frameworks that support ongoing management through a cycle of <br /> activities that ensure periodic update of watershed assessments, management objectives and priorities, and <br /> E-9 <br />