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OWASA acts to buy qfor peservair By RAY GRONDERG "The contract is complicated, but we regard The Chapel Hill Herald it as pressing business," said Peter Gordon, chairman of the OWASA Board of Directors . CHAPEL HILL — OWASA is angling to buy "I'm not willing to state a date, but we're not a quarry on N.C. 54 that it hopes to make into talking about very long from now" its third reservoir — even if local govern- lbesday's announcement came a day before ments decide to reject an expansion of mining officials from Chapel Hill Carrboro and on the site that would boost the water system's Orange County were due to open hearings on capacity. 1 9 a proposed rezoning that clears the way for an Utility officials announced Tuesday that expansion of the quarry. they have reached an "agreement in princi The Orange Water and Sewer Authority is ple" to purchase the 100-acre site from its cur- backing the request on the theory that an rent owner, Alice Durham. The terms of the deal — which, among other expansion would give it a bigger reservoir, things, will control the fate of the royalties Gordon and his colleagues think the pit now ' y can hold about �a billion gallons of water, but that miners pay for the quarry s stone — wont he rever led until the two sides close the sale, they'd like one that could accommodate some- dhe� . . .ie c; ing is to occur also remains thing more like 3 billion . gallons, about as :erta l ple,Ve see OWASVPAGE 8 ►' would give OWASA more con trol over its future development and would assure FROM PAGE 1 neighbors opposed to the expansion that mining would cease in 2030 . Neighbors much as OWASA's Cane Creek Reservoir the mine rattlose the es heir homeansion s , blasting at holds at any given time . But the move also gives the utility msur- The pending acquisition, however, "is not ance against having to claim the proper contingent on the approvals being sought, " through eminent domain, should local goy Gordon said: "The deal that's being pro- ernments reject the rez posed will go forward regardless oning. . " A prior agreement between OWASA, the Gordon said buying the property now Durham family and the quarry 's operator, the American Stone Co. , pledged the pit to could secure most of the benefits OWASA The OWASA, free of cost, if the rezoningOWASA board has unanimously goes seeks * by shelving the rezoning, forcing a endorsed the expansion . Its move to buy the through, halt to mining sometime in the next decade property took shape in closed- door meet- But that agreement only gave the utility or so, and seizing the property once Ameri- ings, held over the last few months . the "right of first refusal" on several key can Stone leaves . Directors are convinced it's better to have portions of the site, including the rock- He maintains the expansion would yield a surplus of water than a shortage. crushing operation that 's visible to OWASA little extra capacity and would "It's just too good ' to ass up , " motorists passing it on N. C . 54, Gordon said, cause neighbors unnecessary hardship . County appointee Mark Marcoplosr said The impact of 'lbesday's announcement Danziger also believes the utility has when asked recently to explain his support on the zoning debate remained uncertain, overestimated future water demands in of the expansion . "Water is so important The expansion 's leading critic, Erwin southern Orange County. He could not be that we should in this situation err on the Danziger, has argued that local officials reached for comment 'Ibesday evening, side of abundance: " THE CHAPEL HILL HERALD Wednesday, April 12 , 2000 ' II