Agenda - 11-18-1986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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042 November 12, 1986 Dear Lake Orange Property Owner: Severe drought conditions over the past several months coupled with State Division of Water Resources projections of reoccurring water shortages on the Eno River in the future have caused the Orange County Board of Commissioners to reassess the various options for increasing available water supply. While most of this focus has centered on water transfer agreements, management strategies, and engineering study for a new reservoir another possible action under consideration is to raise the raw water storage of Lake Orange by a one or two foot amount above the current spillway level. Engineering has shown that either increase in elevation could be done under the design criteria of the Dam Safety Act. However, before a final decision can be made questions concerning land titles and property owner attitudes must be surveyed. The purpose of this letter/questionnaire is to gather information in this regard. You are one of the persons shown on the orange County tax records as owning land directly abutting the lake and are therefore asked to answer and return the questionnaire enclosed in this letter. By way of background, Lake Orange was built in 1967 to establish a back-up public water supply for Orange County. Raw water is captured at the lake during times of normal streamflow and stored until releases are necessary during dry weather periods to replenish the down stream reservoirs of Corporation Lake and Lake Ben Johnston. Orange County owns the land for the lake to elevation 615 feet although the current spillway only captures water to 614 elevation. Between 61,5 and 620 elevation the land is owned by Lake Orange Incorporated for the purpose of private recreation rights subject to an easement to the County for temporary flooding to elevation 620 feet. Land above 620 feet is under private ownership. It should be emphasized that this delineation of ownership is complicated by the fact that at least two deeds held by private property owners contain boundary descriptions which overlap part of the 615 to 620 easement conveyed to Orange County under its 1967 recorded deed. A one foot raising of the lake would permit a fifty million (50,859,456) gallon increase and an approximate 200,000 gallons per day safe yield addition. A two foot rise, on the other hand, would increase lake volume by one hundred and four (104, 542,384) million gallons and an approximate 400, 000 gallon safe yield addition.