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'?.. . . . <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM <br /> - .. <br /> TO: Board of Commissioners <br /> FROM: County Manager . . <br /> .. <br /> SUBJECT Water Supply and Usage in the Upper Eno River Basin <br /> DATE: November 15, 1985 <br /> , . <br /> , . <br /> ThiS report has been compiled to aid in the evaluation of <br /> the water supply adequacy of the Upper Eno River. Recent <br /> periods ! of drought coupled with the prospect of increased <br /> water-uSe demand from growth have caused past assumptions of <br /> adequacy to be called into question. The report's conclu- <br /> sions'.: are that supply is inadequate; stop gap measures should- <br /> .. be undertaken to better manage water during a drought in <br /> .. <br /> order to protect the public health and safety; and that on a <br /> long range basis, major additional water supply should be <br /> . developed. Additional supply is the only real solution to . '.','... <br /> the supply inadequacy. <br /> • <br /> i . <br /> Special thanks is due John Wray, Al Dieteman, Jeanne <br /> Csapo and David Crawford of the ND Division of Water <br /> . . <br /> Resources; Don Cordell of Hazen and Sawyer, P.C.; Geoffrey <br /> Gledhill, county Attorney for their assistance on this report <br /> - 1 <br /> together with the action measures which will be recommended , <br /> in follow up to the report. - <br /> I <br /> I. BACI6OUND <br /> 1 . <br /> Abse,In ce of rainfall in the summer of 1983 brought a . . <br /> cessatidn of natural flow in the Eno River. This affected <br /> the water level of Lake Ben Johnson which in addition to . . <br /> supplying the daily usage requirements of the Town of . <br /> • <br /> Hillsboreugh also was the supply for water sales to the <br /> . , <br /> Orange Water and Sewer Authority (MAW . On the day (August <br /> 23, 190) the lake reached 24 inches below full Hillsborough t ' <br /> called upon the County to replenish the reservoir from Lake <br /> Orange and enable it to begin water transmission to the <br /> OWASA. and <br /> that point until major rainfall resumed October <br /> 20, 1913 Hillsborough/OWASA and the Orange Alamance Water <br /> System (029 were dependent upon water releases from Lake <br /> - Orange to meet their supply requirements. As the drought <br /> continued and Lake Orange was steadily drawn down questions <br /> arose as to how much water volume was actually left in Lake <br /> I <br /> Orange; Ihow -much of this could be used given the higher <br /> sediment concentration at lower lake levels; how much could <br /> be released by opening previously unused valves or by <br /> installing temporary pumus; and how many days could water <br /> releases i be maintained. <br /> i . <br />