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K, <br />2. Set up provisions for donation of and lease of <br />development rights under the policies. <br />3. Request funds for PDR on agricultural lands and <br />natural areas in the county. <br />4. Recommend that Orange County adopt the Land <br />Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) point <br />system as a means of evaluating where <br />agricultural districts and PDR will be pursued. <br />While no action was taken on the draft ordinance, <br />the recommendations of the Agricultural Districts <br />Advisory Board contributed substantially to the <br />renewal of interest in PDR. <br />Watershed Protection <br />Watershed protection is not a new concern. Since the <br />late 1970's, Orange County has been a leader in <br />watershed protection efforts in North Carolina. In <br />1987, however, concern about the adequacy of <br />existing protection standards emerged in response to <br />a proposed development in the University Lake <br />Watershed. Orange County and the Towns of Chapel <br />Hill and Carrboro jointly requested that the Orange <br />Water and Sewer Authority ( OWASA) commission a <br />carrying capacity study of the watershed to <br />determine what changes, if any, needed to be made in <br />the existing standards. <br />In late 1987, OWASA employed the consulting firm of <br />Camp, Dresser, and McKee to undertake the study. The <br />final report was submitted in March, 1989, and <br />representatives of the three jurisdictions began <br />meeting thereafter to formulate a coordinated <br />watershed protection program. Strategies for <br />protecting University Lake watershed were drafted in <br />October, 1989, based principally on the <br />recommendations of the OWASA consultant. In April, <br />1990, Orange County amended its development <br />regulations to implement most of the strategies <br />proposed by the Watershed Work Group. <br />The basic strategy for protecting University Lake <br />was to increase the minimum required lot size to <br />five acres. This represented a substantial decrease <br />in permitted densities and raised concern among <br />farmers and property owners about losses in property <br />values. To address this concern, the Watershed Work <br />Group recommended the following: <br />1. That the jurisdictions develop strategies for <br />dealing with special hardships that farmers <br />i <br />n <br />