Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
r_ Orange Water and Sewer Authority 2,1 <br /> ' February 11,1999 <br /> Page 13 <br /> that there are community benefits in havlrtg reasonable controls on the extension of OWASA's retail <br /> water and sewer lines and services within the southeastern part of Orange County and the urban <br /> growth area for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. <br /> Mr.Davis said there was consensus from the local government representatives on the Water <br /> and Sewer Boundary Task Force(Town of Carrboro,Town of,Chapel Hill,Town of Hillsborough, <br /> and Orange County) that by putting any typexof constraint on the provision of public water and <br /> sewer utilities In areas outside of the urban service areas that the only alternative for providing water <br /> and sewer services to new growth and development Is by using alternative type systems. Patrick <br /> Davis said alternative type systems are Individual wells,private community water systems,individual <br /> septic systems, or small-scale community-type' wastewater systems. The local government <br /> representatives recognized and acknowledged that would be the preferred alternative approach in <br /> the outlying.areas. <br /> Mr. Davis said corresponding with the decision that the decentralized-type systems in the <br /> rural buffer and in the water supply watersheds would be the appropriate approach then brought up <br /> the issue of what happens in the event the alternative type systems fall and public utilities need to be <br /> extended to correct a failing wastewater system or water supply-wells that contain contaminants that. <br /> needs an alternative which might, in fact, need to be public water. Patrick Davis said in situations <br /> that are clearly determined to be emergency in nature, carefully'designed,,carefully located and <br /> controlled public utilities in the sensitive areas-rural butler and water supply watersheds - could <br /> under certain limited situations be acceptable. Mr. Davis said the agreement spells out some <br /> situations In which public utility extensions might be appropriate In areas that would normally not be' <br /> considered appropriate for public utilities. <br /> Mr.Davis said some of the areas where there has not been consensus have to do primarily <br /> with dealing with the intergovernmental agreements concerning wholesale transfer of water or <br /> cooperative agreements regarding wastewater service and wastewater treatment-and particularly in <br /> those instances where it is beyond the Orange County boundaries. Patrick Davis said those areas <br /> have significant long-term'Implications not just from a land use planning and growth management <br /> standpoint In OWASA's service area in Orange County as a whole but there Is also significant <br /> implication from a water and.sewer utility provision standpoint — reliability, quality of service, <br /> economY of service, and the provision of the backbone infrastructure needed to meet the planned <br /> increases in water and sewer demands that come with the community's growth and development in <br /> accordance with the adopted land use plans. <br /> Mr.Davis said that he and Barry Jacobs represented the Board on the Water and Sewer <br /> Boundary Task Force and they made It clear their opinions were their own and that the full OWASA <br /> Board of Directors will state its opinion at the appropriate time. <br /> Mr.Davis said the draft agreement is getting closer to a final agreement Two meetings have <br /> been scheduled for March 1999 with the hope that the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force will <br /> conclude Its discussions and present a final agreement similar In version and content to the draft <br /> February 2,1999 Water and Sewer Management,Planning and Boundary Agreement Patrick Davis <br /> said there would be some provisions In the agreement that will not have consensus support of all the <br /> participants on the Task Force. <br /> Mr. Davis said the Initial issue of a common boundary agreement with the Town of <br /> Hillsborough has not been formalized. There are some provisions in the draft agreement that the <br /> representatives of the Town of Hillsborough said they could not and would not agree to. Patrick <br /> Davis said that the elected representatives and staff of the Town of Hillsborough stopped attending <br /> the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force meetings and,therefore,there is concern about the Town <br /> of Hillsborough's commitment to the agreement <br /> x <br />