Agenda - 11-19-1997 - 10a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange Water and Sewer Authority 3 ' OWASA 400 Jones Ferry Road P.O. Box 366 Carrboro, NC 27510 (919) 968-4421 Provisional Recommendations for Protecting the Cane Creek Water Supply June 26, 1997 Introduction and Background Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) owns and operates the Cane Creek Reservoir as one of two principle water supplies for the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC Hospitals, and portions of Orange County. The reservoir cost $20 million to build and was filled in 1989. Cane Creek is expected to provide water to the community through the twenty-first century. In January 1994 the OWASA Board of Directors appointed a 22-member Watershed Advisory Committee to guide the Board in developing a management plan for ensuring the long term quality of the Cane Creek Reservoir. The Committee's charge included assistance to staff and Board in developing the scope of work for a consultant study; interaction with staff and consultants during the study; and finally, advising the Board on a preferred water supply protection strategy. The Committee was composed of a range of stakeholders, including property owners and watershed residents, water customers from Carrboro and Chapel Hill, professional experts from the University, elected officials from each governing jurisdiction, and OWASA Board members. A complete list of Committee members is attached as Appendix A. In October 1994 the Board approved Committee-drafted goals, objectives, and a scope of work, and in June 1995 awarded a consulting contract to the Cadmus Group, Inc. Cadmus worked closely with the Committee and OWASA staff reviewing data, developing, refining, and modeling alternative management scenarios, and in August 1996 presented results in the Cane Creek Reservoir Watershed Study-Draft Report. Findings indicated that future water quality objectives could be met through four different approaches that relied on varying degrees of open space preservation, large lot zoning, cluster development, regional stormwater ponds, and tributary subimpoundments. Each of the options theoretically offered the same water quality outcome, but differed substantially in its impact on watershed property owners, cost to OWASA ratepayers, uncertainty of meeting predicted results, and potential for unintended or irreversible results. The Committee and the OWASA Board agreed to solicit additional community input before recommending a single preferred strategy. Accordingly,the Cadmus report was circulated to local elected officials, staff, and interested citizens; highlighted in newspaper articles; and An Equal Opportunity Employer