Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
4 <br />ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: MARVIN COLLINS <br />Planning Director <br />FROM: DAVE STANCIL DS <br />Planner II- Comprehensive <br />DATE: APRIL 13, 1992 <br />SUBJECT: UPPER /MIDDLE ENO WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION <br />Orange County and the Town of Hillsborough have a brief window of <br />opportunity to request that the Division of Environmental <br />Management (DEM) recommend a higher water supply classification for <br />the Upper Eno /Middle Eno watersheds. <br />In order to request a change, both County and Town administrations <br />need to convey this wish to DEM staff by April 30. No further <br />correspondence between elected boards and the Environmental <br />Management Commission (EMC) is being received at this time, but DEM <br />is interested in County /Town input for their staff recommendations <br />to be sent to the EMC in early -May. <br />Background <br />On May 13, the Environmental Management Commission is scheduled to <br />adopt classifications for all water supply watersheds in the state, <br />as required in the Water SuRRlv Watershed Protection Act of 1989. <br />These classifications will be based on minimum rules and standards <br />adopted by the EMC in February 1992 after much debate and change. <br />The set of rules adopted in February 1992 are substantially <br />different than those Orange County commented on in October 1991. <br />To recap County action, the County Commissioners recognized in <br />October 1991 correspondence that ttLe numerous sub - basins of the Eno <br />River upstream of Hillsborough had different characteristics /land <br />uses. The BOCC therefore recommended that the Eno watersheds north <br />and west of Hillsborough be grouped into two categories: <br />1) The Upper Eno (including Lake Orange, the proposed West Fork of <br />the Eno reservoir, Corporation Lake/ Corporation Lake expansion, and <br />the proposed Eno (north of McGowan Creek) reservoir); and <br />2) The Middle Eno (including the proposed Seven -Mile Creek <br />reservoir and other areas draining only into Lake Ben Johnson). <br />The Commissioners' resolution requested the classifications of WS- <br />II (predominantly undeveloped/ highest quality) for the sparsely- - <br />developed Upper Eno, and WS -III (moderately developed) for the <br />Middle Eno because of non - residential development/ interstate spill <br />considerations. The Town of Hillsborough did not request a <br />classification for these watersheds, principally because they were <br />