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JOINT MEETING <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS/ <br />HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />WORK SESSION ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 21, 2002 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. _ <br />SUBJECT: Coordination of Water Issues <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />County Engineer Water Rate Report <br />County Water Conservation Resolution <br />Capacity Use Agreement <br />County Water Conservation/Drought Ord <br />Town Water Conservation/Drought Ord. <br />OWASA Water Conservation/Drought <br />Ord. <br />Hillsborough Water Rate Letter <br />Lake Orange, Inc. Letter <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Paul Thames, County Engineer, ext. <br />2303 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To provide material for the BOCC and Hillsborough Board of Commissioners to <br />review and discuss in their joint deliberations related to better coordinating the operation of the <br />Eno River Capacity Use Agreement and their respective drought ordinances (that impose water <br />use limitations on the citizens of the Town and County and to discuss the impact of double <br />water rates on Town water/sewer utility customers who live in the unincorporated sections of <br />the Town utility service area. <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County and the Town of Hillsborough have a partnership relationship <br />in the effort to provide and protect the water supply for a sizable percent of the population in the <br />central portion of the County. The County and Town both operate reservoirs in the northern <br />part of the County, release water from the reservoirs into the Eno River and manage the <br />resources therein to promote the most effective use of water for both consumers and the <br />environment. However, the prolonged and severe drought of recent years has caused 2002 to <br />be a very difficult year for almost all of the water resource providers in the area, including the <br />Town and County. The hardships have highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the <br />guidelines, agreements, ordinances and practices that govern how the Town and County <br />manage and coordinate the use of the water resources. Furthermore, the addition of the water <br />supply from the Town's West Fork reservoir has drastically changed the conditions that were <br />existance when those guidelines, agreements, ordinances and practices were developed and <br />implemented. <br />In particular, differences in requirements and terminology in the drought ordinances applicable <br />to in- and out-of-town Hillsborough customers as well as those applicable to OWASA, Mebane, <br />Orange-Alamance and Durham customers has caused a great deal of confusion for the <br />