Agenda - 12-01-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Proposal 2 - submitted by Bill Aderholt RECOMMENDATIONS 70 LONG RANGE WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY CONMI7 : A CONCEPT FOR A COUNTY4,11DE WATER ALfl' ORIZY October 7, 1987 Introduction The Orange County Board of Commissioners has established a Long Range Water Management Strategy Committee to evaluate alternative institutional arrangements for meeting rapidly growing water supply demands in Orange County. Three general management strategies have been discussed by the Committee members and they have been requested to provide comments and recommendations relative to their preferred alternative. The following information and response is offered for consideration by members of the Committee. It is proposed that the Committee consider recommending that the Orange County Board of Commissioners endorse a County—wide authority approach, or some variation thereof. A specific proposal for implementing such an approach is not offered in this report. The comments and information provided have not been reviewed and endorsed by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (O'JASA) Board of Directors or the local governmental units which are members of OWASA. Background Municipalities in Orange County must continue to have high quality water and wastewater services available at adequate capacity if they are to support the rapid population and economic growth projected for the area. Several factors are affecting the capability to provide these services. These include: (1) the continuing trend for more stringent federal and state standards for water filtration and wastewater treatment and disposal; (2) continuing increases with costs of facility construction and financing; (3) increasing need for qualified technical and management personnel; (4) increasing legal and regulatory delays in facility construction; and (5) lack of environmentally, socially, economically and technically acceptable water and sewer facility sites. These factors will make the task of providing needed water and sewer services increasingly difficult and expensive, particularly in areas experiencing rapid growth. They present a potential constraint to the economical and timely development of water and wastewater facilities which are needed to support -planned economic growth and development. Under the traditional water supply planning approach in North Carolina, local jurisdictions have been granted permission to independently develop and manage water supplies and wastewater treatment facilities on a piecemeal basis. However, in many instances in the pest, serious problems have resulted from inadequate long range planning and development of water and wastewater facilities. An increasing number of local governments in the State are experiencing difficulties in meeting water supply and wastewater service needs within the context of existing institutional arrangements. Some of these difficulties have become apparent in Orange County as the Long J Range Water Management Strategy Committee has examined the local situation. 19