Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
, <br /> change per 100 feet of horizontal distance) offers an <br /> obstacle to potential development. Such land is considered <br /> generally unsuitable for intensive development and <br /> economically unfeasible for building utility facilities. The <br /> presence of steep slopes does not, in and of itself, prohibit <br /> development. When it does coincide with other constraining <br /> features, though, future growth should be directed towards <br /> less sensitive areas. This action also serves to direct <br /> development away from areas with generally higher development <br /> costs. <br /> Steep slopes generally found in the southeastern section of <br /> Orange County. They are also associated with major stream <br /> channels county-wide. <br /> Hydrology <br /> Hydrology deals with the occurrence and distribution of <br /> water. More specifically, it includes consideration of <br /> precipitation, stream drainage systems, surface and <br /> subsurface water resources, and flooding potential. <br /> • Orange County receives about 43 inches of precipitation <br /> annually. Normally, the precipitation is distributed fairly <br /> evenly throughout the year. The driest season is the fall <br /> when rainfall averages slightly less than three inches per <br /> month. July and August are the wettest months, when <br /> precipitation is augmented by thunderstorms <br /> Drainage Patterns - Orange County is in the headwaters of <br /> three major watersheds. A small portion of Cedar Grove <br /> Township drains north into the Roanoke Basin. Much of <br /> northern Orange County lies in the Neuse Basin. The main <br /> streams of the Orange County portion of this basin are the <br /> north and south forks of the Little River and the Eno River, <br /> which join to form the Neuse River in Durham County. The <br /> Neuse empties into the Pamlico Sound at New Bern. <br /> 1 The southern and extreme western portions of the County are <br /> part of the Cape Fear Basin. Major streams of this basin <br /> that either lie within or border Orange County include Cane <br /> 1 , Creek, New Hope Creek, Morgan Creek, and the Haw River. All <br /> flow into Jordan Lake and eventually the Cape Fear River in <br /> Chatham County. The Cape Fear empties into the Atlantic at , <br /> Wilmington. <br /> Water Resources - Several sub-basins within the Cape Fear and <br /> Neuse Basins are existing public water supply watersheds. In <br /> 2.2 text 4 <br />