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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />. Meeting Date: February 1, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. /Q4 <br />SUBJECT: W <br />Treatment Management Program Expansion <br />DEPARTMENT: I Health <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Executive Outli a of Proposal <br />Educational Plan <br />Discussion Paper <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Rosemary Summers, ext 2411 <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 a report to the Board on the educational plan and initial financing of the <br />Wastewater Treatment Management Program (WIMP) expansion. <br />BACKGROUND <br />History of Current Program <br />The current Wastewater Treatment Management Program (WIMP) was approved by the Board of <br />Commissioners in 19?i95. The program inspects non-municipal discharging wastewater systems and <br />municipal sludge sites. These are commonly called "alternative systems" and include low pressure pipe <br />systems, pump conventional systems, large systems, discharging sand filters, and non-municipal <br />package plants, in addition to sludge application sites. The impetus to explore the expansion of the <br />current WTMP was three result of a joint meeting of the Board of Commissioners and the OWASA Board <br />in the spring of 1998, and a subsequent meeting of the Board of Health. All three boards recognized <br />that existing failure rates of conventional septic systems are not likely to improve without action and that <br />centralized wastewater disposal will not be a repair option in many areas of the county. <br />History of Expansion Proposal <br />The Board of Health farmed a special committee at its August 1998 meeting to consider whether citizens <br />in the county would benefit from an expansion of the current wastewater treatment management <br />program (WTMP) than would include conventional on-site wastewater systems (septic systems). The <br />WTMP Expansion Committee, composed of representatives from the County Commissioners, OWASA, <br />Hillsborough Town Engineer, the Board of Health, health department staff, Commission for the <br />Environment, planning department staff, and county manager's office met several times in the fall of <br />1998 and into 1999. The Board of Health approved the conceptual plan in November 1998, subject to <br />Commissioner approval of resources needed to further refine the plan. The proposal was presented to a <br />joint Board of Health, Board of Commissioners work session in March 1999. The Commissioners <br />expressed interest b t desired to see a further refinement and expansion of the Educational Plan <br />component of the proposal. Staff prepared a draft educational plan that was reviewed and refined by the <br />Expansion Committee and submitted to the Board of Health for approval. The Board of Health approved <br />the Educational Plan end the Executive Outline at its July meeting and directed staff to forward the plan <br />to the Board of Commissioners for approval and funding.