Agenda - 04-19-1993 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Finding 6. If the County is to develop and implement a technically sound, comprehensive ground-water resource management program, it will be necessary to provide the staff and financial resources required for an in-depth water resource investigation. It will also be necessary to allocate the resources and time to develop effective strategies, policies, and regulations required to address issues, concerns and problems which are exposed by the investigation. Important information about Orange County related to demographics, physical land use, utility service and other features relevant to ground- water resources exists in a variety of formats. This information must be consolidated into a cohesive database, preferably through the County's GIS system, so that it can be used to evaluate ground-water quantity and quality issues and implications. The process of investigation and development of strategies will require several years of effort by County staff, experts, citizen advisors and elected officials. • Findint 7. The work accomplished to this point supports the need for a ground-water investigation and management program and steps to initiate the program should be continued. Activities which have potential to adversely affect the ground-water resource continue unabated and with unknown effect. Acquisition of data and information related to these activities also continues with no concerted effort to ensure that the data is formatted and stored for ease of future integration into a cohesive water resource database. It is important that the portion of the ground-water protection and management initiative that is most readily accomplished and definitive be incorporated into an interim/preliminary strategy. Interim tasks and costs, some of which have applicability beyond the ground-water program, can be recommended to the County Commissioners for funding and integration into the County staff workplan in fiscal year 1993-94. NEXT STEPS FOR THE COMMITTEE The committee has begun to outline the elements which might be included in an investigation of the water resources of Orange County. At its current stage of development, the draft outline does not provide an adequate basis for determining or predicting the ultimate scope and cost of the effort required to define, manage and protect the County's ground-water resources. The committee's next steps would be to refine and finalize this outline, and to attach cost estimates to the various elements of the plan as follows: Develop scope of study for ground-water quality and quantity analysis • Defuie tasks and anticipated results for analysis process • Develop time and cost estimates associated with tasks • Investigate technical assistance and funding resources • Make ground-water analysis recommendations to BOCC Develop public education plan Analyze duality and utility of existing data Develop data acquisition plan Provide oversight for 1993/94 staff work plan The committee would also complete the other work outlined in its charge. In addition, the committee recommends that adoption of the following FY 1993-94 workplan as a relatively low cost method to organize and augment ongoing County activities so as to begin.to educate the public and to start a systematic collection of information needed for a water resource management and protection program. If the FY 1993-94 workplan is approved, the committee should continue its work at least through FY 1993-94.