2026-072-E-County Mgr-Urban Sustainability Solutions-High School Riparian Buffers

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Please describe what other funding might be used to support it within the next 5 years. (150 word limit) This OCCCA grant is the only source of funding for workforce development (planned for 20 teachers in Orange County and 100 Orange County students), which is a small price to pay compared to the much higher costs ($220,000) already secured for riparian buffer installation contractors, equipment, and supplies. Criterion 5 - Local Economic Development This criterion has a maximum score of 3 points (out of a total of 26 points). D31. How many Orange County residents are employed by your organization? One of our 3 part-time employees lives in Orange County. Two of our 6 volunteer board members and 1 of our 3 additional volunteers are Orange County residents. All teachers and students participating in our program (and receiving stipends) are Orange County residents. D32. W hat project materials will be purchased from sources within Orange County or North Carolina? What percent of the total materials do these represent? (200 word limit) 100% of project materials will be purchased from sources within NC. We do not yet know what percentage will be purchased within Orange County, but we aim to purchase locally whenever feasible. D33. Please describe any other aspect of your project that is relevant to local economic development. (100 word limit) Students and teachers trained in USS's program gain hands-on, real-world experience in sustainable stormwater and landscape engineering, equipping them with job-ready skills they can use to find employment after school, during summers, and after graduation. Indeed, NC stormwater needs are expected to exceed $2.76 Billion over the next 15 years: https://efc.sog.unc.edu/north-carolina-stormwater-needs-exceed-2-76-billion-over-the-next-15-years/. This project benefits the health of Jordan Lake and, therefore, the clean, drinkable water required to support the population and businesses necessary for ongoing local economic development. This includes recreation in/on Jordan Lake, which is a key source of income in Orange County, directly and via restaurants and retailers. Criterion 6 - Amount and Duration of Engagement This criterion has a maximum score of 3 pts (out of a total of 26 pts). D34. Please describe the target population to benefit from the project. (200 word limit) The primary beneficiaries of this project are public school teachers and students in Orange County, as well as landowners in the Bolin Creek Watershed of Orange County. Please refer to our responses in the “Social Justice and Racial Equity” section (Section 1) under "Scored Criteria" for further details, specifically: "Based on state-wide statistics (https://ncbudget.org/new-census-poverty-data-1-3-million-living-in-poverty-in-nc/), the riparian buffers enabled by this project will serve low(er)-income residents in low-lying areas of Bolin-Creek, of which ~19.4% are estimated to be black, ~19.1% Hispanic, and ~10.3% Asian. "The majority of the population along the lower Bolin Creek where USS will be installing riparian buffers is low-income: https://bestneighborhood.org/household-income-chapel-hill-nc/ (see attached map). Indeed, this area contains among the highest density of low-income households in Orange County. "The area along upper and middle Bolin Creek, where USS will be installing riparian buffers, is among the most diverse in Orange County: https://bestneighborhood.org/race-in-carrboro-nc/ (see attached map). Note also that the riparian buffers installed by this project will benefit "all who live within the Bolin Creek and Jordan Lake watersheds. Orange County’s population is 12% Black; 8% Hispanic; 9% Asian; 69% White; 52% Female; 12% in Poverty (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/orangecountynorthcarolina/PST045222). The median age is 35.1 years." D35a. How many people will benefit from your project in one year? (This is the same number from row 8 in the D16 table above) 5000 D35b. Please describe how you arrived at this number. (200 word limit) · The Bolin Creek watershed covers roughly 2 square miles in southern Orange County, flowing through neighborhoods in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. · Chapel Hill and Carrboro together have approximately 80,000 residents as of the 2020 estimate, which is likely similar today (https://bolinforestclimateaction.org/the-big-picture/). · Chapel Hill’s 2020 population was 61,960, while Carrboro was 21,295 residents (Wikipedia). Estimating population within the watershed 1) Simple density-based estimate: Chapel Hill’s population density in 2010 was ~2,687 people per square mile (likely similar today). As the Bolin Creek watershed spans ~2 sq mi, a rough population projection is 2,700 people/sq mi × 2 sq mi ≈> 5,400 residents. 2) Adjusting for urban vs. suburban mix: The watershed area includes several high-density residential neighborhoods near the trail. Other sections along less developed floodplain may be less dense. We estimate the maximum density is ~3,000–4,000 people/sq mi, yielding: 6,000–8,000 residents. Integrating watershed area and surrounding population densities: W e estimate the resident population within the Bolin Creek watershed (2020 era) is 5,000 to 8,000 people, concentrated in Chapel Hill and Carrboro neighborhoods that drain into Bolin Creek. USS believes the lower number of 5,000 is most probable. Docusign Envelope ID: FE98AD8C-2A26-4FC1-9B3F-6DEB6E3A41EE