Agenda - 02-03-2015 - 4b - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 Chair Earl McKee January 16, 2015 Page 3 Energy Management We recently completed major energy efficiency improvements at our Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which accounts for about 60% of our total use of electricity. Those improvements have resulted in about a 30% reduction in electricity use at the WWTP, thereby enabling us to save more than $120,000 a year while also reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our energy use. We featured this project in our latest issue of the Blue Thumb (our customer newsletter),which is here. We will soon be developing an Energy Management Plan, which is Strategic Initiative #5 of our Strategic Plan. That plan will guide our future energy management, energy efficiency, and renewable energy decisions, actions, and investments. We will keep you updated and seek your feedback as we proceed with this important effort. Long-Range Water Supply Plan and Jordan Lake access We will update -Range Water Supply Plan. One of the first steps of this process will be to update our water demand projections. OWASA will work with our local governments and UNC staff to incorporate their growth projections into the analysis. , On November 142014, we applied to the NC Division of Water Resources toretainour Jordan Lake allocation of about 5 million gallons per day (for use in extended droughts and operational emergencies). The NC Environmental Management Commission may decide on allocation requests in November 2015. On November 13, 2014, we received information from OWASA staff on options toaccess our Jordan Lake allocation. Staff will incorporate this information in the draft update to our Long- Range Water Supply Plan. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) In accord with our Strategic Plan, we will in coming months evaluatethe feasibility of implementing AMI technology, which uses radio equipment and meters which can be read water use including indications of a potential water leak. Community engagement will be an important part of our process, but we agreed on November 13, 2014 to defer the engagement process until we receive the results of the feasibility study in 2016. Forestry Management In accord with the Federal permit for the Cane Creek Reservoir, we are implementing a forestry management plan provided by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for our 490 acre Cane Creek mitigation tract. From August through November 2014, our contractor carried out the plan on 407 acres of the tract (the remaining acres had been previously managed). The management included no cut areas around streams and at property boundaries near occupied homes on 151 acres, thinning on 201 acres and final harvest on 43 acres. Small hardwood