Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
-~ ,: - 3 <br />.,~, ,; <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />PUBLIC HEARING ON RESERVOIR SITE SELECTION <br />JANUARY 30, 19$9 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in special session on January 30, 1989 <br />at 7:30 p.m. in Superior Courtroom, New County Courthouse, Hillsborough, North Carolina. <br />BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr., and Commissioners Stephen Halkiotis, <br />John Hartwell, Shirley E. Marshall and Don Willhoit. <br />ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill. <br />STAFF PRESENTS County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Albert <br />Kittrell, Deputy Clerk to the Board Kathy Baker, Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe, <br />and County Engineer Faul Thames. <br />SITE SELECTION FOR UPPER ENO RIVER BASIN RAW WATER RESERVOIR <br />Chair Carey made introductory remarks. He stated that this evening has been set for <br />a public hearing on the reservoir site decision that the Board of Commissioners are <br />approaching within the next month. <br />Gounty Engineer Paul Thames briefly described the contents of a report done by <br />Hazen and Sawyer Engineers on the comparison of potential raw water sites for the <br />proposed reservoir. (A copy of this report is in the permanent agenda file in the <br />Clerk's Office and in the Commissioners' Library). Thames stated that it was determined <br />that two sites in the Eno Basin were suitable for reservoir development in terms of the <br />perimeters of size, yield and cost. The two sites chosen were the one on Seven Mile <br />`',``' Greek and the one on the Eno River just upstream from McGowan Creek. In order for the <br />County to begin purchasing land by the end of 1989, a final site selection would be <br />necessary by the end of March, 1989. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS: <br />BARRIE WALLACE stated apposition to building the reservoir on the Eno. She asked <br />that the historic structures on the Eno not be allowed to be destroyed. She showed on a <br />map the historic structures and the flood level of the reservoir if built on the Eno. <br />Faucette's Mill would be under water and Chatwood would have a :Eloodline at her fences. <br />Other homes would be under water or within 50 to 70 feet of the water. She continued <br />with her presentation showing pictures of all the structures that would be affected if a <br />reservoir is built on the Eno. <br />JOYCE BROWN handed to the Clerk some questions stating she would like to have a <br />response as soon as possible. She made reference to a question she asked last year about <br />what happens to a river when it is dammed. She went to the American Rivers Conference <br />to get an answer. Among all the experts she did not talk to one person who thought that <br />dams save rivers but rather the opposite. She referred to a study done ten years ago <br />which found that dams not only diminish rivers by enhancing evaporation from <br />impoundments but are unwise, economically inefficient and environmentally destructive <br />and permit and stimulate unwise settlement and development. She asked that a second <br />opinion from another specialist with a different viewpoint be obtained before a final <br />decision is made on building a reservoir. She questioned if the county knew what they <br />