Agenda - 09-14-2021; 12-2 - Information Item – Memorandum Regarding Administrative Updates to the Eno River Voluntary Water Management Operations Plan (WMOP)

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18 Lake Ben Johnson, Corporation Lake and Lake Orange], developing and improving system operating rules, and assisting the County in preparing a draft water conservation ordinance." Several years later, as documented in the CUI, "at the request of the [Orange] County Manager, a simulation was conducted reflecting water demands for Hillsborough and Orange- Alamance as they existed in June of 1986." The results of this modeling concluded that "with the projected water demands in the early 1990's the Eno River would cease to flow at the water intakes ten times and the systems would be in crisis mandatory rationing thirty-two times (a total of 1,830 days). The CUI goes on to say, that "even under existing water supply demands, the potential for a water supply disaster is imminent." Orange County is not one of the six water users, listed below, directly affected by controls under the WMOP, because Orange County does not withdrawal water from the Eno River, as it does not operate a water system or other water withdrawal purpose. However, as the owner of Lake Orange, the County is responsible for the management and operations of Lake Orange to meet specified flow targets in the Eno River through the release of water from Lake Orange. This WMOP establishes the three existing reservoirs as the means by which required minimum flows in the Eno River are controlled; however, with Lake Orange the largest and most upstream, at the time of the issuance of the WMOP, it serves as the primary controlled water source (i.e., reservoir) to meet flow targets in the Eno River downstream during low flows. All water users in the Eno River Basin who withdraw more than 100,000 gallons of water per day from surface water or groundwater sources are subject to the management controls of this plan. Both water withdrawals and reservoir releases are subject to controls. Water users affected by controls under the plan are listed below. 1. Town of Hillsborough -- Lake Ben Johnston and West Fork Eno River Reservoir withdrawal and reservoir releases. 2. Orange-Alamance -- Corporation Lake withdrawal and reservoir releases. 3. Resco Products (formerly, Piedmont Minerals) -- Eno River withdrawal. 4. City of Durham -- Eno River withdrawal. 5. West Point Grist Mill -- Eno River. 6. Irrigators whose monthly average withdrawal exceeds 100,000 gallons per day. The limited capacity of the basin requires these users to be subject to the following controls. 5