Orange County NC Website
53 <br /> (Page 2 . 3-6 ) <br /> • <br /> Orange Alamance Water Systems, Incorporated (OAWS) <br /> OAWS is a non-profit association formed in 1969 to serve populated <br /> areas in western Orange and eastern Alamance counties. The system <br /> has recently defined a future service area in Orange County in and <br /> near the village of Efland. The service area crosses the ridge line <br /> separating two major drainage basins, the Cape Fear and the Upper <br /> Neuse, serving the US 70 corridor west from Efland, the Mebane area <br /> and several rural communities in eastern Alamance County. A small <br /> portion of Cedar Grove Township is also served with water by the <br /> system. Approximately one-third of OAWS customers are in Orange <br /> County, with a slightly smaller proportion in the Upper Neuse <br /> drainage basin. Industrial use accounts for about 20% of total <br /> usage in the system. The three major industrial users - GKN, Honda, <br /> and Dayco - are located in Alamance County. <br /> The primary raw water source for OAWS is Corporation Lake, an <br /> impoundment on the Eno River just north of US 70, which has a 20 <br /> year safe yield of 0.7 mgd. The rate of sedimentation is such that <br /> 35% of its storage capacity has been lost since . the dam's. <br /> construction in 1969 . At that rate of sedimentation, Corporation <br /> Lake would be completely filled by the year 2025, with a resulting <br /> net yield of zero. The Orange County Water Conservation Ordinance, <br /> effective January 1988, allocates 0.80 to OAWS from Lake Orange <br /> when the lake is at its normal level. This allocation drops to 0 .32 <br /> mgd when Lake Orange reaches crisis level. <br /> OAWS has interconnections on the east with Hillsborough and on the <br /> west with the Graham-Mebane water system. Graham-Mebane is in <br /> turn, connected to the City of Burlington. ON$900i00.00444.4 <br /> E : $m arid:<14 bao.:c..:..... lekt : aons ron<o < the r own reservoir on <br /> Back_Creek....in...eastern...Alamance...County ' iat :o::.,+.::.:.rov.; ,e: ,;.wa..er.;;: .,o <br /> ............. ... ......... .......... ...................................................... <br /> Between 1980 and 1986, raw water pumped from OAWS increased by 50%, <br /> from 0 .42 mgd to 0.63 mgd. Population served during that time <br /> increased from 4 ,800 to 6, 150 . Projected water demand and deficits <br /> are shown in Figure 2 .4 . These figures show -that the system is <br /> rapidly reaching capacity when Corporation Lake is considered as a <br /> sole source. Even with a full allocation from Lake Orange, under <br /> the Orange County Water Conservation Ordinance, OAWS faces a <br /> system-wide demand deficit by 1995. <br /> POTENTIAL it TER 0000.1 O C....`. FOI O C TT <br /> Io 1990:, the ne>> eek: :servo r n>>Bio c Te ch4 a Leted <br /> and now eeiv s`.' A cu o ith h s* OWASA should• have <br /> adequate supplies of water through the twenty year plan period. The <br /> two water suppliers in central Orange County are in a less enviable <br /> position. As growth trends and the drought of the mid 1980 's <br /> clearly showed, Hillsborough and OAWS have serious water supply <br /> needs that are both short and long term. <br />