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JAMEZETTABEDFORD, CHAIR Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> JEAN HAM/LTON, VICE-CHAIR <br /> MARILYN CARTER Post Office Box 8181 <br /> A ER <br /> SAALLY 300 West Tryon Street <br /> LLYGR GREENS - <br /> EARLMCKEE PHYLLIS PORT/EASCOTT Hillsborough , North Carolina 27278 <br /> r�ort4 Car °���`a <br /> April 1 , 2025 <br /> The Honorable Thom Tillis <br /> 113 Dirksen Senate Office Building <br /> Washington, D . C . 20510 <br /> Dear Senator Tillis , <br /> On behalf of Orange County, I am writing to request your support in securing federal <br /> appropriations to fund a critical infrastructure project in our community . Specifically, <br /> Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) is seeking $ 1 . 778 million to help replace the <br /> singular, deteriorating clearwell located at the Jone Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant . <br /> The current 1 . 5 -million-gallon clearwell is a large, partially buried, cast- in-place concrete <br /> tank constructed in 1948 . Clearwells are vital for water treatment, storing treated water to <br /> ensure an uninterrupted supply for drinking, public health, fire protection, and the economy . <br /> Unfortunately , recent assessments of the clearwell infrastructure found it to be a vulnerable <br /> single point of failure in providing drinking water to the Chapel Hill and Carrboro <br /> community . Without a fully functioning clearwell , OWASA ' s ability to meet the <br /> community ' s demand for water is severely compromised, and if not addressed, could lead <br /> to service disruptions and potential public health concerns . <br /> The requested funding will allow OWASA to design the replacement of this aging, critical <br /> infrastructure with built- in redundancy , getting one step closer to assuring the continued <br /> delivery of clean, safe drinking water to our community . The project will also help mitigate <br /> the need for substantial water rate increases , which are necessary to fund this project, if <br /> federal assistance is not secured . By addressing this issue now, we can avoid more <br /> significant costs and potential risks in the future . <br /> We greatly appreciate your consideration of this critical request and would be grateful for <br /> any assistance you can provide to secure the necessary funding for our community . <br /> www. oranpecoun tync, qoy <br /> Orange County, North Carolina <br /> (919) 245-2130 <br />