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ALLEN SPIALT <br /> 300 JAMES STREET - <br /> CARRBORO, NORTH CAROLINA 27510 <br /> H: 967-3054 Ws 967-1886 <br /> • <br /> ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> PUBLIC HEARING ON McLENNAN'S FARM <br /> November 23, 1987 <br /> Chair Marshall and members of the Board of Commissioners. I <br /> am Allen Spalt . My family and I live at 300 James Street , in <br /> Carrboro. Thank you for' the opportunity to address the Board on <br /> the sublt6st of the proposed McLennan's Farm subdivision . I 'd • <br /> like to relate my comments to watershed protection . <br /> In July, on behalf of a group of concerned Carrboro and <br /> Orange County citizens, now rosely organized as "Protect Our <br /> Water" , I addressed this Board and asked your help because we <br /> faced the impending construction of a large and ill -conceived <br /> • development in the University Lake watershed. We appreciated the <br /> concern of this Board then , and I know that you are still - <br /> concerned about protecting the quality of the principal drinking <br /> water source for southern Orange County. The issues involved <br /> with McLennan's Farm are a part the larger situation . <br /> The basic- question is what level of development can be <br /> permitted in the watershed consistent with a long-term supply of <br /> safe drinking water? We don' t yet know for sure . OWASA is <br /> conducting a study of the University Lake Watershed to help find <br /> the answer . A study of Cane Creek is to follow. What do we do <br /> in the meantime? I think it is best to do proceed with extreme <br /> caution and to do as little as possible . <br /> In debates over watershed protection in Carrboro, nationally <br /> recognized water quality experts testified that the level of <br /> development is directly related to water quality. As Dr.. . Daniel <br /> Okun put, it,. "degradation (of the water quality] is a function of <br /> development . . . in every instance" . The more development , the more <br /> problems, sooner and later . <br /> McLennan's Farm proposes to use a common , septic system to <br /> dispose of waste water . What do we know about such systems and <br /> what is their effect on development? <br /> It is easy to answer the latter question first--community - <br /> systems allow greatly increased density of development . In the <br /> current case , public water and sewer is not available--OWASA has <br /> a moratorium on extension of service pending the outcome of its <br /> study. According to the developers' consultant , only about 2 • <br /> acres of the land perks. Without an alternative system, most of <br />