Agenda - 11-27-1995 - C-1-b - Laserfiche WebLink

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030 WATER RESOURCES Watersheds Orange County is in the headwaters of three of the state's major river systems - the Cape Fear, Neuse and Roanoke River basins. Several sub-basins are existing public water supply watersheds. Although many have been protected for years, several new water supply watersheds were recognized in 1993 as part of the State's Water Supply Watershed Protection Act of 1989. Neuse Basin. Much of northern Orange County lies in the Neuse Basin. The main streams of the Orange County portion of this basin are the north and south forks of the Little River and the Eno River, which join to form the Neuse River in Durham County. The Neuse empties into the Pamlico Sound at New Bern. The Neuse Basin contains a number of different sub-basins and watersheds. The Upper Eno sub- basin contains Lake Orange, Corporation Lake, Lake Ben Johnson, and proposed reservoirs on the West Fork of Eno and Seven-Mile Creek. These lakes currently serve or are proposed to serve Hillsborough, Efland, and portions of Alamance County. The northern and western parts of the Neuse basin provide water for residents of Durham City and County. Much of northeastern Orange County is within the Lake Michie (Flat River) or Little River basins, which flow east to reservoirs in Durham County. Additionally, the eastern portion of the Eno River basin in Orange County, known as the Lower Eno, is part of a 10-mile protected area arc for the City of Durham's emergency water intake on the Eno River in Durham. Cape Fear Basin. The southern and extreme western portions of the County are part of the Cape Fear Basin. Major streams of this basin all flow into Jordan Lake and eventually the Cape Fear River in Chatham County. The Cape Fear empties into the Atlantic at Wilmington. Within the Cape Fear basin are part or all of four watersheds. There are two existing water supplies, a portion of a watershed providing water to Graham and Mebane, and a pair of "protected areas" for downstream supplies. University Lake, draining the Morgan Creek sub-basin, and the Cane Creek Reservoir, both in the Cape Fear Basin, serve as water supply to Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. The Back Creek watershed, providing water to Graham and Mebane in Alamance County, extends into northwestern Orange County. In addition, two new water supply watersheds were added in 1993 as part of the state's watershed protection program. The 10-mile "protected area" arc for the Town of Pittsboro's Haw River intake extends into southwestern Orange County. Likewise, the Jordan Lake Reservoir, located in Chatham County, has a 5-mile "protected area" arc extending into the southeastern corner of Orange County and the Town of Chapel Ifill. Roanoke Basin. Within the Roanoke River basin, in the northwestern reach of the County, is the South Hyco Creek basin, a watershed that flows north into Person County and provides water for the City of Roxboro.