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2 <br />Orange-Alamance Water Systems and the City of Durham in upcoming months, and will report <br />back to the Board at a subsequent meeting. <br />OVER-ARCHING COMMENTS: Water conservation and demand management are critical <br />components of OWASA's long-term strategy for ensuring a sustainable water supply for the <br />citizens and businesses of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and the University community. OWASA has <br />achieved significant progress over the past several years through its seasonal and tiered rates, <br />process water recycling at the water treatment plant, and the reclaimed water partnership with <br />the University. The Towns and County enacted uniform conservation ordinances that are <br />among the most proactive and innovative in North Carolina. The University has implemented <br />extensive conservation measures throughout all sectors of its Chapel Hill campus and has <br />agreed to pay more than $12 million for OWASA's reclaimed water system that will initially <br />serve the main campus. The recommendations of the joint staff work group are intended to <br />complement and reinforce the very significant accomplishments already achieved in our <br />community. <br />In February 2006, OWASA presented information about projected water supply and demand <br />trends and the increasing importance of conservation in meeting long-term water needs to the <br />elected boards of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County. The elected Boards asked that <br />OWASA staff work with their respective staffs in developing information and recommending <br />additional specific actions that would enable the Towns, County, and OWASA to achieve <br />greater conservation of the community's water resources. This interlocal staff workgroup <br />prepared a comprehensive consensus report and set of recommendations -Collaborative <br />Water Conservation Strategies for Joint Consideration by Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange <br />County, Draft, January 2008. That document provides substantial detail about several potential <br />conservation strategies in addition to those specifically recommended in this NRTS Committee <br />report. <br />The work group recommended that the Towns, County, and OWASA adopt new water <br />conservation policies and requirements that are consistent throughout the OWASA service area <br />in order to assure their effective and equitable application among all OWASA customers, <br />businesses, and developers in the community. One key approach endorsed by the staff work <br />and recommended by NRTS is that OWASA develop and adopt water use efficiency standards <br />and requirements far new development and redevelopment projects as "conditions of OWASA <br />service." The Towns and County would then reference OWASA's standards and requirements <br />as conditions of their respective development approval processes. <br />By implementing the more publicly visible strategies recommended in this report, Carrboro, <br />Chapel Hill, Orange County, and OWASA can "lead by example" in promoting the conservation <br />behaviors and actions that we collectively want our residents, businesses and institutions to <br />follow. <br />The Natural Resources-Technical Systems Committee (NRTS) recommends two phases of <br />implementation for the following strategies: <br />Recommended Near-Term Actions (first phase) <br />7. OWASA should develop specific standards and enact requirements for all new <br />development and redevelopment to provide water use efficiency plans and to install <br />state-of--the-art water saving fixtures and devices. Compliance with these standards <br />