Agenda - 12-01-2008 - 6e - Laserfiche WebLink

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WRITTEN a) Schools in Orange County (impact fees). 3) LONG TERM WATER SUPPLY AND PROTECTION a) Update of OWASA's Long-Term Water Supply Plan, Including an Assessment of Jordan Lake Options 8:01:58 PM Ed Kerwin, Executive Director, OWASA (written statement attached and hereby incorporated as part of the official Minutes), stated that they were now facing an opportunity and responsibility to make sure that they provided a safe, secure, and sustainable water supply for their future. He said to that end, they had begun a process to update their 50-year water supply plan, looking out to the year 2060. Mr. Kerwin said key questions that needed to be answered during that update were how their service area would grow, what that development would look like and what its density would be, and how much water and sewer service would be expected of OWASA. He stated they would then evaluate what combination of conservation, demand management, traditional supply or alternative supply options would best meet those needs in a sustainable fashion. Mr. Kerwin stated OWASA's guiding principal was the objective that they would maximize the use of their local resources to either eliminate or minimize the need for resources outside of their area. He said most of the technical work should be completed by the spring of 2009, and they would then provide that information to all stakeholders so they could provide OWASA feedback to allow them to begin making decisions about the future. He said even though they were now out of the recent drought, they needed to plan for future droughts. David Hughes, Chatham County Public Works Director, provided an update on Chatham County's water plant expansion. He said after some study, they had determined it made sense to do the expansion. on the western side of Jordan Lake and to partner with other jurisdictions to meet short-term needs. Mr. Hughes stated they had put year-round conservation measures in place, and had actually seen their peak demand levels decrease. Ted Voorhees, Deputy City Manager, City of Durham (attachment hereby incorporated as part of the official Minutes), provided an overview of Jordan Lake collaboration and Durham conservation efforts. He stated that regional cooperation had to be built upon a philosophy of conservation and sustainable practices. Mr. Voorhees stated they had been focused on two significant projects for expansion capacity in the northern part of their jurisdiction: Nello Teer Quarry, which the State DWQ had now said could only be used for limited purposes; and, to raise the dam and expand the capacity of Lake Michie. He said that downstream of Lake Michie was Falls Lake which had not weathered the drought very well, making it clear to them and to DWQ that that was not a preferred option. Mr. Voorhees stated that put them back at looking at Jordan Lake as the preferred water source.