Agenda - 03-31-2008-2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Potential Joint Use of Jordan Lake Water Supply March 20, 2008 Page 2 Discussion Jordan Lake represents a possible water supply supplement for OWASA if our current plans for additional conservation and reclaimed water fall short of our goal of reducing future dema~ids prior to the expanded Stone Quarry Reservoir coming into service (>2030). Jordan Lake could also provide a critically important "back-up" supply during droughts or other water supply emergencies. Two severe droughts in the past six years have further increased our awareness of the need for greater flexibility and additional. water supply options. It is impractical for OWASA alone to develop fac'riities at Jordan Lake, due to the high costs (perhaps $40 million to $50 million) of a water intake, pumps, and a I S-mile pipeline. The use of Jordan Lake would be more feasible in partnership with the City of Durham, Chatham County, and/or Orange County if the County so desires. (As you know, Orange County has an allocation. of one percent of Jordan Lake's water supply storage capacity, which is estimated to yield 1 MGD.) Durham's 10 percent allocation represents an estimated. yield of 10 MGD. At this time, Durham obtains a portion of its Jordan Lake water through. an interconnection with. the Town of Caiy. Improvements to that interconnection are now underway to increase the amount of water that Durham can obtain fi•orn Cary by this coming summer. Durham is also considering options for increasing its ability to withdraw water directly from Jordan Lake and has proposed a leadership role for plam~ing and establishing a water intake and perhaps a water treatment plant on the westen~ side of the lake. On March 3, 2008, the Durham City Council approved a resolution supporting regional. partnerships and committing Durham's leadership (please see Attachment #2). Next Stens for OWASA On February 28, 2008, the OWASA Board unanimously supported our staff's participation. with the City of Durham, Chatham County, and Orange County in evaluating the potential joint use of Jordan Lake water. The OWASA Board strongly believes that this work is critical to the larger initiative of updating our long-term water supply plan, especially in light of recent experiences with severe droughts, growing uncertainty about the potential effects of climate change, and water use prof les associated with emerging patterns of commercial, residential, and mixed-use development in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill. community. It is essential that we understand the expected costs and benefits of a regional approach to Jordan Lalce in order to objectively evaluate other water supply options, including the expansion of the reclaimed water system and/or achieving greater demand reduction through additional conservation. Although OWASA remains committed to our policy of maximizing the use of our local, highly protected water sources, it is possible that conservation, demand management, and reclaimed water may not by themselves provide the level of drought security that our community desires. We recognize the importance of working closely with Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County as we consider the regional Jordan Lake option in our updated water supply plan.. We