Orange County NC Website
Page 2 <br /> into residential lots, which in the near future could give a population on the lake of 50 <br /> to 75 homes or even more. When taken into account, the number of additional septic <br /> systems, motor-powered boats, soil erosion - which is substantial and of great concern <br /> to many property owners, both from the wake of boats and wind causing water to lap <br /> the shoreline, not to mention the excessive growth of moss and vegetation in the water <br /> from chemical runoff from neighboring farm lands and pasture lands, it seems obvious <br /> that the environment can do nothing but change and change very drastically on this <br /> 160 acre body of water. It is felt that there should be considerable consideration given <br /> to limiting the size, power, type and/or even number of boats using the lake at any <br /> given time. It can be predicted that in the future, with the increase in number of <br /> property owners with boats on the water, and the fact that the lake is also open to the <br /> public for boating purposes, this lake is at times very congested with boating traffic, <br /> and can only become more congested in the future than it already is. <br /> It has been stated that Orange County Officials control such things as mentioned <br /> above and only they can govern these activities. <br /> It has been suggested that soil from the lake bottom be taken from the lake and put up <br /> onto the banks of lower properties so that the water level of Lake Orange can be <br /> possibly raised one or two feet. In fact, some of the property owners have already <br /> done this to their property. Mr. George Everett, Water Quality Section Chief, in the <br /> Division of Environmental Management of the Department of Natural Resources and <br /> Community Development stated that this could initiate several types of problems, and <br /> that not only should an environmental assessment or impact study be done regarding <br /> the future plans for the lake, but that one should probably be done now to assess the <br /> impact of the already altered sections of the bank around the lake that has possibly <br /> affected the lake environment. <br /> Because Orange County owns Lake Orange and has jurisdiction over its present and <br /> future water quality, existence and well being, it is proposed at this time that the <br /> local County Government, specifically the Health Department assess the quality of <br /> water at Lake Orange for the purpose of documentation, and also initiate a study to <br />