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u <br />Report to Orange County Commissioners <br />August 18, 1992 <br />Page 2 <br />Watershed Protection <br />Preparations are underway for our Cane Creek watershed study later in the year. The Board <br />has instructed staff to develop a scope of work and to solicit comments from a broad range of <br />interested parties. Present plans are to convene three advisory groups: a Technical Advisory <br />Committee made up of local staff and technical experts; a Local Government Liaison <br />Committee including appointees from the elected bodies; and, a Citizens Committee of <br />property owners, OWASA customers, and other community interest groups. Melva Okun <br />has been appointed to replace Jimmy Wallace as the Board of Directors' principle contact for <br />this initiative. <br />I clearly recall Commissioner Willhoit's 1989 visit to an OWASA Board meeting to <br />encourage a long term commitment to buy land for watershed protection. In response, we <br />budgeted $100,000 during each of the past three years for critical land acquisition, and <br />recently increased that amount in our Capital Improvements Budget to $200,000 for each of <br />the next 5 years. <br />I reported last Spring that we had purchased a total of 81 acres of Cane Creek watershed <br />land, and secured conservation easements on 25 more during the last fiscal year. I'm pleased <br />to announce the Board's recent decision to purchase another 27 -acre tract adjoining the Cane <br />Creek Reservoir, where we hope to acquire a buffer at least as broad as the one around <br />University Lake. A general map of land owned by OWASA or the University in the two <br />watersheds is included for your information. Additional details are available should you need <br />them. <br />Assisting Lower Income Families Obtain Water and Sewer Service <br />The Board of Directors is keenly aware of the cost to property owners of obtaining new <br />water and sewer service. These costs can be especially acute in situations when service must <br />be extended to already developed property. Recent staff analyses have indicated typical costs <br />of extending sewer service alone to be in the range of $7,000 to $8,000 per lot. Recognizing <br />that the Authority is prohibited from providing free service or subsidies to any customers, I <br />3 <br />