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AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WATER DURING A <br />WATER SHORTAGE, RESTRICTING THE USE OF WATER AND WATER <br />WITHDRAWALS, AND ALLOCATING AUGMENTED STREAMFLOW FROM RESERVOIRS. <br />WHEREAS, University Lake is a significant source of raw water <br />from which the orange Water and Sewer Authority supplies water to <br />Orange county; and <br />WHEREAS, a critical water supply condition exists on the upper <br />Eno River with only Lake Orange to rely upon in times of <br />drought as a significant reserve water source for (a) <br />supplying Hillsborough, Orange Water and Sewer <br />Authority, and Orange Alamance, and for (b) augmenting <br />streamflow in the Eno River to assimilate waste <br />discharge from the Town of Hillsborough Wastewater <br />Treatment Plant; and <br />WHEREAS, the level of both University Lake and Lake Orange must <br />be managed to insure that orange County citizens have <br />essential supplies of water in these reservoirs can <br />extend the time and availability of suplies for all <br />users during critical periods; and <br />WHEREAS, some degree of demand reduction and cooperation by the <br />users of the water in these reservoirs can extend the <br />time and availability of supplies for all users during <br />critical periods; and <br />WHEREAS, no user has the right to withdraw a disproportionate <br />share of the augmented flow nor reduce natural <br />streamflow such that other downstream riparian needs and <br />instream needs cannot be satisfied; and <br />WHEREAS, General Statutes section 153A -121 authorizes owners of <br />stored water to set rules to govern water allocation during <br />drought periods; and WHEREAS, Orange County has developed <br />conservation rules and an allocation plan based upon monthly raw <br />water withdrawal records, modeling of streamflow conditions as <br />have existed over a 40 year period by the North Carolina Division <br />of Water Resources, and calculation of the 7 -day 10 year low flow <br />at Lake Ben Johnson. <br />NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of County Commissioners-of Orange <br />County, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes Section 153A- <br />121, ORDAINS: <br />ARTICLE 1. Water Shortaqe and Withdrawal /Conservation <br />Restrictions. <br />A. While water is flowing over the Lake Orange spillway normal <br />conditions will be deemed to exist with no withdrawal or <br />conservation restrictions to be enforced. <br />A water shortage shall be declared to exist with respect to <br />Lake Orange, whenever the level of Lake Orange reaches the <br />second of seven stages shown on Table 1 or whenever <br />emergencies develop such that citizens cannot be supplied <br />with water to protect their health, safety and welfare <br />without curtailing the water demand. Conservation measures <br />and a limit on withdrawals shall be instituted upon reaching <br />the alert stage and made more restrictive through successive <br />stages of drought in an effort to prolong the availability of <br />water. Each public water user must make allowance to pass <br />below its intake facilities the prescribed minimum flow <br />