Orange County NC Website
24 <br />~.8 <br />AGENCY COMMENTS <br />OWASA Board of Directors, March 9, 2000: RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE STONE <br />QUARRY AND RESERVOIR EXTENSION AS THE BEST OPTION FOR AUGMENTING <br />OWASA'S RAW WATER SUPPLY WHEN THE EXISTING CANE CREEK/UNXVERSITY LAKE <br />/QUARRY RESERVOIR SYSTEM NO LONGED MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE CARRBORO- <br />CHAPEL HILL COMMUNITY <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />The proposed amendments address two issues which support the public interest by providing long <br />term sustainability. <br />Amendment JPA-1-00 requests an expansion of the Extractive Use designation currently applied <br />in the TPA Plan to cover the expansion of the current quarry site by an additiona17S.20 acres. <br />Amendment CP-1-00 is necessary to create a Rural Industrial Activity Node under the Orange <br />County Comprehensive Plan which would make it possible to request the appropriate zoning for the <br />property's proposed use. This would apply to 180.51 acres. Both proposed amendments have been <br />evaluated against the Locational Criteria from the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan, <br />since TPA amendments are also inherently Comprehensive Plan amendments. <br />Evaluation Criteria: Joint Planning Area Amendment <br />The proposed Extractive Use expansion complies with 10 of 11 locational criteria as defined in <br />the Orange County Comprehensive Plan with a "questionable" evaluation on the criterion relating <br />to "Hydrology" impacts. <br />The issue of hydrology is questionable because the criteria states that "Extractive Use" sites should <br />be outside of water supply watersheds. Stringent University Lake Watershed standards have been <br />addressed by the OWASA-commissioned Camp, Dresser and McKee Study regarding possible <br />runoff from the expanded quarry. The EIS indicates that runoff will drain to the quarry pit and be <br />recycled or released downstream through approved means. The existing asphalt plant issues have <br />been addressed through the previously referenced four-parry agreement. Runoff has been addressed <br />by the construction of containment structures and long-term concerns are met by requiring removal <br />of the plant by May 2000. Hydrologic concerns have been mitigated and are balanced with the <br />positive effects of the other nine evaluation criteria. <br />