Agenda - 04-18-1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • CHOOSING THE SEVENMILE CREEK SITE After more than two years of detailed study and public debate, the Orange County Board of Commissioners will vote tonight on a site for a new resevoir. I intend to vote in favor of a location on Seven- mile Creek, and I am hopeful that the- other commissioners are of a similar mind. My own decision has involved considerations of many types, as our action will have important consequences for the citizens of this region for many years. In general, it may be said that my preference for this site derives from its compatibility with other needs and values of the community. Although there is a clear and pressing need for an adequate supply of clean water in the upper Eno basin, it is important to me that the • means by which it is procured be consistent with larger goals for the quality of life developing in this area. It is my conclusion that the site on Sevenmile Creek will meet our needs while exacting smaller economic, environmental and cultural costs than other alternatives. In support of this view, I offer the following observations: 1. The reservoir is smaller than other alternatives proposed. It floods fewer acres, destroys less natural habitat, ruins the plans of fewer families and costs less money to build. •• 2. The drainage basin is also smaller and therefore can be more easily and economically protected. Most of the adjoining lands are now •• . heavily forested so that sedimentation and agricultural drainage are less problematic than in other locations. The most serious threat to water quality at this site is posed by two rills which drain from the Interstate highways. A reservoir designed for this location can and should be engineered to intercept these point sources of pollu- tion. 3. No residences or historic structures would be flooded. It is nearly impossible to find 500+ acres anywhere in Orange County which meets this test today, and surely the condition will not long per- • •"4.4- •• • slat. For this reason it seems to me imperative that the land be •:••:t:2••••'.- purchased as soon a possible. - .-; . • .. 4. No highways or major utility lines would need to be closed or relo- - Gated. One bridge on a public road (where Mt. Willing Rd. crosses Sevenmile Creek) would need to be raised. • • • ' . 5. The County already owns 160 acres at this site, purchased for this purpose in the early 1970's. The residents of the area, though not • necessarily joyous about it, have long been prepared for an eventual reservoir in this location.