Agenda - 03-21-1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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t 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 21, 1990 Action Agenda Item # I-C SUBJECT: Upper Eno/Seven Mile Creek Watershed Reclassification DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: Yes _x No ATTACHMENT(S) : Report INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Thames, County Engineer TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough - 732-8181 Durham - 688-7331 Mebane - 227-2031 Chapel Hill - 967-9251/968-4501 PURPOSE: To provide information on the possibility of and the procedure for obtaining upgraded water supply watershed classifications for the upper Eno River basin and to the Seven Mile Creek basin. BACKGROUND: Surface runoff of stormwater is expected to be increased in the Seven Mile Creek watershed as a result of the widening and reconstruction of Interstate 85, a section of which traverses a part of the watershed. DOT has indicated through its environmental assessment process that it expects no significant short or long term environmental impact to result from the proposed project. The major reason that DOT gave for the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is that Seven Mile Creek is a WS-III category watershed which by definition is classified as low quality waters. Discussions among officials of Orange County have indicated the desire to have DOT mitigate potential water quality impacts by constructing BMP facilities along the reconstructed sections of 1-85 in the Seven Mile Creek basin. One strategy for convincing DOT to construct these BMP' s is to have the watershed reclassified to a higher standard so that DOT will need to take measures to mitigate the potential water quality impacts. The County Commissioners have directed that a report be prepared to outline the process for obtaining a watershed classification for Seven Mile Creek and for the entire Upper Eno River watershed.