Agenda - 02-23-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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r / /11' ORANGE MATER AND SEWER AOTRCEITY STATEMENT CONCERNING PROPOSED LION OF URBAN TRANSITION AREk By Everett Billingsley, Executive Director February 23, 1987 Public Hearing As the agency responsible for providing public water and sewer services to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community and outlying areas, Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) has followed with much interest the proposals under consideration tonight. The OWASA Board of Directors has reviewed the proposal for extending the Urban Transition Area and asked that I inform you of the Board's position on this issue. Public water service and gravity sewer service can be provided throughout the Bolin Creek drainage basin, including the area in the upper Bolin Creek basin presently designated as Rural Buffer. It is desirable to direct urban and suburban development into areas which can be served by orderly extensions of the gravity sewer system, rather than by more expensive and complicated alternatives. Therefore, from the standpoint of orderly and economical development of the public wastewater collection system, it would be appropriate to designate the entire Bolin Creek drainage basin as Urban Transition Area. OWASA also supports the establishment of this area as Urban Transition Area because it might also indirectly reduce development pressures in the University Lake watershed area. The availability and extension of public water and sewer services should be required as a condition of approval for future subdivision and land development proposals in the Urban Transition Area. The issue of whether or not public water and sewer extensions into the Rural Buffer are appropriate is apparently unresolved. If public services are not extended into this area, then there may be a conglomeration of private water supply and wastewater disposal systems throughout the area. There are numerous references in the literature of problems with these type systems. Septic tanks typically have a design life of about 15 years. If these installed systems fail in the future, the extension of public utilities may be necessary in order to alleviate potential health and welfare problems. The per lot cost of future extensions to serve sparse development in the Rural Buffer Area could be very substantial, particularly if the original platting and siting of development had not been in contemplation of public water and sewer service extension. It is recommended that Orange County require a second nitrification drainfield for all structures utilizing septic tank systems in the Rural Buffer Area. If community water systems are permitted to be used, then it is recommended that the distribution systems be required to be built to OWASA standards or other similar standards. For all subdivisions occurring in the Rural Buffer Area, it is recommended that dedicated sewer easements be obtained for orderly extension of public water and sewer services through the property to assure that in the event such extensions are needed in the future, extensions can be undertaken in an economical and orderly manner. In the Joint Planning Area public facilities should be required or, if community facilities are allowed, there should be a commitment to tie into the public system when public facilities are available. x x x x x