Orange County NC Website
IBAtiSCB1P_1_QE_QQMME.dI.S_MAQ 8V DANLQIiUN_AT <br /> SEA.IEMBE11-2..._12115y@QABQLDE_ALQ.ERMElal!I—MEEI M <br /> My name Is Dan Okun, I am a professor of environmental <br /> engineering at the university, sort of semi -retired . I have <br /> a little more time to engage In consulting activities, which <br /> took me away from here during July . And , when I came back , 1 <br /> heard about the projected development and some people <br /> approached me and suggested that I might participate In the <br /> deliberations . <br /> I 've been engaged in activities of this kind in other parts <br /> of the United States and I do have something to say of a <br /> . general nature as well as speaking specifically to the <br /> amendment . I hope that If I do overstep my bounds in terms <br /> of what I speak about , call to account and I ' ll try to get <br /> back on it . But I didn 't have a chance to speak before. <br /> We in this area are very fortunate in our water resources and <br /> I commend Carrboro for. :its level of activity in this regard . <br /> I was privileged to testify before the Water, Quality Task <br /> Force . First I might say I live in the county, i • don 't live <br /> in Chapel Hill , I own property in Carrboro and my son and his <br /> family live In Carrboro on the property I own . I feel I have <br /> a stake here . But my biggest stake is professional because <br /> am concerned with drinking water quality . . Carrboro and all <br /> communities that have responsibilities for the protection of <br /> water quality are in a very difficult position--one which is <br /> not of your making or anyone 's making , but times have crept <br /> up on us and we can see what is occurring by the passage just <br /> a few months ago of the new addition of the Safe Drinking <br /> Water Act, which is far stricter than what was passed in <br /> 1974, which was the basis upon which the deliberations of the <br /> Water Quality Task Force were based upon . And we all In <br /> every jurisdiction with which I work , largely in California, <br /> is faced with the fact that we are going • to have to deal with <br /> many more contaminants , some of which we have difficulty in <br /> measuring , and we are going to have to be far more stringent <br /> in the future . We should not feel badly that what we once <br /> thought was adequate we now have to perhaps go over and <br /> refine because at one time in 1974 or at the time ,the Water <br /> Quality Task Force was in operation , we had about 26 <br /> chemicals In our drinking water standards and in a few years <br /> we are going to have a minimum of 83. And every couple years <br /> after that Congress has mandated that there be more. So <br /> there is going to be a lot more surve.l-llanc'e of our water <br /> quality because in fact there Is considerable concern with <br /> it . And we are fortunate because we have watersheds , which <br /> in the new North Carolina classification both University Lake <br /> and Cane Creek have the prospect of being classified In the <br /> highest of three classifications of drinking water called W- <br /> S-1 . And to maintain that Is something we should strive for . <br /> Now the degredation is a function of development . We per- <br /> ceive this in every instance . Now mitigation measures that <br /> are taken that have been proposed over the years for con- <br />