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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-06-1998 - 5cORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 6, 1998 Action Agenda Item # ,t ~ SUBJECT: Water Conservation Proclamation for northern Orange County DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: Yes No ATTACHMENT(S): BUDGET AMENDMENT: Yes No Water Conservation Proclamation INFORMATION CONTACT: County Engineer Extension 2303 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: - Hillsborough - 732-8181 Durham - 688-7331.. _ Mebane - 227-2031 Chapel Hill - 967-9251/968-4501 PURPOSE: To present for BOCC approval a resaitition to implement the portion of the provisions of the County's water conservation ordinance calling for the voluntary conservation of water by citizens in northern Orange County who use water provided by the Orange-Alamance and Town of Hillsborough water systems. BACKGROUND: In July 1986, the Orange County BOCC enacted the County-wide water conservation ordinance entitled ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WATER DURING A WATER SHORTAGE, RESTRICTING THE USE OF WATER AND WATER WITHDRAWALS, AND ALLOCATING AUGMENTED STREAMFLOW FROM RESERVOIRS. The provisions of this ordinance were intended to address the periodic and generally seasonal water shortages which have historically affected the water supply capacity of the County's public water supply systems (OWASA, the Town of Hillsborough and the Orange-Alamance Water System). The ordinance sets forth increasing stringent levels of water restrictions on the part of the County's public water suppliers as well as water conservation measures on the part of the customers of those water suppliers.. The severity of the conservation measures and restrictions is tied directly to the quantity of water remaining in the water supply reservoirs in the County, as measured and indicated by lake levels. The portion of the ordinance dealing with the OWASA system and reservoirs has not enacted since the development and filling of the Cane Creek Reservoir. It has been enacted, in conjunction with the Eno River Capacity Use Plan, to restrict water use from Lake Orange and the Eno River system for nine of the last ten yeazs. As drought and water supply conditions require, the provisions of the County's water conservation ordinance are both enacted and rescinded by means of a formal resolution by the BOCC or by means. of an order of the Chair of the BOCC. As of Tuesday, October 6, the water level at Lake Orange was slightly more than twenty-four inches below the spillway overflow. In accordance with the provisions of the water conservation ordinance, a water conservation alert status is declared or proclaimed when the water level at Lake Orange is twenty-four inches or more below the spillway overflow. The proclamation advises citizens who use water from either the Orange- Alamance or Hillsborough systems to begin voluntarily conserving water by restricting their water use by ten percent. Simulatneously, the provisions of the Eno River Capacity Use Agreement require that Hillsborough, Orange- Alamance and Piedmont Minerals restrict their water withdrawals from the. Eno River to the Level II allocations specified in the Agreement. All parties to the Eno River Capacity i~se Agreement have been notified; effective as of midnight October 6, to reduce water withdrawals in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Boazd adopt the attached resolution declaring a Stage II Water Shortage Alert and authorize the Chair to sign. PUBLIC PROCLAMATION REGARDING USE OF WATER OBTAINED FROM THE PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM SUPPLIED BY THE ORANGE-ALAMANCE WATER SYSTEM, INC. AND THE TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH AND FROM ANY RAW WATER SUPPLY WITHIN ORANGE COUNTY USED BY THE ORANGE-ALAMANCE WATER SYSTEM, INC. AND THE TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH Pursuant to the provisions of the ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WATER DURING. A WATER SHORTAGE, RESTRICTING THE USE OF WATER AND WATER WITHDRAWALS, AND ALLOCATING AUGMENTED STREAMFLOW FROM RESERVOIRS, I, Mazgazet Brown., Chair ofthe Boazd of County Commissioners,.having been provided with information that the water level of Lake Orange is more than two feet, below full, do hereby issue this PUBLIC PROCLAMATION declaring to all persons that a stage II water shortage ALERT is now in effect applicable to users of water from the public water system supplied by the Orange Alamance Water System, Inc. and Town of Hillsborough and from any raw water supply within Orange County used by the Orange- Alamance Water System, Inc. and the Town of Hillsborough. The following voluntary water conservation measures are now applicable: 1. Use shower for bathing rather than bathtub and limit shower to no more than four (4) minutes. 2. Limit flushing of toilets by multiple usage. 3. Do not leave faucets running while shaving or rinsing dishes. 4. Limit use of clothes washers and dishwashers and when used, operate fully loaded. 5. Limit lawn watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive. 6. Water shrubbery the minimum required, reusing household water when possible. 7. Limit caz washing to the minimum. 8. Do not wash down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios, etc. 9. Install water flow restrictive devices in shower heads. 10. Use disposable and biodegradable dishes. 11. Install water saving devices such as bricks, plastic bottles or commercial units in toilet tanks. 12. Limit hours of operation ofwater-cooled air conditioners. This proclamation, and the voluntary conservation restrictions imposed pursuant to it, shall be in effect until the Ordinance entitled "AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WATER DURING A WATER SHORTAGE, RESTRICTING THE USE OF WATER WITHDRAWALS, AND ALLOCATING AUGMENTED STREAMFLOW FROM RESERVOIRS" is amended or repealed or until the Chair by Public ~ Proclamation, declares that the Stage II Water Shortage ALERT is over. By order of Mazgaret Brown, Chair of the Orange County Boazd of Commissioners, issued this 6th day of October, 1998.