Agenda - 03-02-2006-7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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®11VAS-A ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY Quality .Service Since 1977 Discussion Parser Water and Sewer Capacity Implications of Increased Density in OWASA's Carrboro-Chapel Hill Service Area February 22, 2006 Executive Summary OWASA can meet the utility needs of increased development density within the currently defined urban services area of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, but meeting those needs while maintaining the level of service expected by OWASA's customers will require additional collaboration among OWASA, local governments, and the development community.. Highly effcient water conservation technologies are readily available that can support increased development density with little or no net increase in water service demands, Many of these advanced efficiency measures can be implemented tluough existing legal authority and local review and approval procedures that are already in place, but some may require ordinance changes or new enabling legislation. OWASA is ready and willing to provide technical assistance to Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County if they choose to move in this direction, and we will consider adopting water use efficiency standards for new development that will be served by OWASA. The ultimate capacity of OWASA's water supply and wastewater treatment facilities are based on projections of future water and wastewater treatment demands that correspond to housing and employment levels that exceed Carrboro's and Chapel Hill's buildout projections by more than 20 percent. We believe that this provides a conservative margin of safety for meeting the capacity needs of future development. OWASA's existing reservoir/quarry water supply system and its future expansion can meet the buildout needs of the Carrboro/Chapel Hill/LJniversity community, including a certain level of additional development density; however, our community will become more vulnerable to severe drought conditions beginning around 2015 and lasting until the Stone Quarry expansion is available for water storage in the mid-20.30s, The OWASA/UNC water reuse system, which will initially serve the University's main carnpus, is an essential tool for' reducing that future vulnerability, Other measures include lowering projected water dematrds through conservation and improved efficiency, and/or by developing additional supply sources. The primary goal of OWASA's long- range conservation program is to reduce water shortage risks without having to rely on additional sources.