Orange County NC Website
1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 5, 2026 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-k <br /> SUBJECT: Resolution Amending the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan <br /> DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 1. Amendment Resolution with Kirby Saunders, Emergency Services <br /> Attachment A (Amended Actions Director, 919-245-6100 <br /> in Yellow Highlight) Ian Fowler, Assistant Chief of <br /> 2. Letter of Support from OWASA Emergency Management, 919-245- <br /> 6100 <br /> PURPOSE: To adopt a resolution approving an amendment to the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional <br /> Hazard Mitigation Plan. <br /> BACKGROUND: In 2025, the Orange County Board of Commissioners formally adopted the <br /> 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Plan identifies both natural and human- <br /> caused threats and hazards facing our community and outlines strategies to reduce the impacts <br /> of future disasters. <br /> The proposed amendment to the 2025 plan stems from Chantal After Action Review (AAR) items, <br /> and a local emergency responder meeting on flooding issues hosted by the Orange Water and <br /> Sewer Authority (OWASA). The meeting included representatives from the Town of Carrboro, <br /> Orange County, OWASA, North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM), and the North <br /> Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to discuss ongoing and emerging flood <br /> risks within the Morgan Creek watershed. <br /> A key outcome of that discussion was the recognition of a need to evaluate potential mitigation <br /> strategies in and around Morgan Creek, including the vicinity of the University Lake Dam. The <br /> proposed amendment (shown in yellow highlight on Attachment A to the resolution) is intended to <br /> address the Morgan Creek corridor more comprehensively, with the dam included as one of <br /> several potential mitigation components. <br /> Given that the dam is located within the Carrboro extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), it was <br /> determined that an update to the County's Mitigation Action Plan would be appropriate. It was <br /> further recognized that downstream flood impacts were within the Town of Carrboro. As such, the <br /> Town has approved an amendment that similarly addresses Morgan Creek. This coordinated <br /> approach is intended to support interlocal alignment and strengthen eligibility for future federal <br /> and state funding opportunities. <br />