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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-20-2011 - 7bORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 20, 2011 Action Agenda Item No. ~ - IJ SUBJECT: Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement (WASMPBA) Clarification DEPARTMENT: County Manager Planning & Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Resolution and Transmittal Letter (Attachment 1) Background OWASA 12/9/2010 Request (Attachment 2) INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank W. Clifton, Jr., County Manager, 245-2300 Craig N. Benedict, Planning Director, 245-2575 PURPOSE: To approve a resolution related to a clarification within the WASMPBA and a transmittal letter. BACKGROUND: The Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement (WASMPBA) is a countywide utility management and boundary agreement adopted in 2001 after years of local government and utility authority review. The agreement sets forth important rules guiding land use, utility extension policies, management of water resources, accountability, and the subject of this clarification, water transfer. On December 9, 2010 the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) forwarded a request (Attachment 2) requesting a change in the WASMPBA to clarify emergency transfers and non- emergency transfers. County staff reviewed the request and noted OWASA's new proposed provision: We recommend that the WASMPBA be clarified with the addition of the following language as a new Subsection 3 to Section VILA (Emergency Water Transfers), and that this language also be added to the existing text of Section VII. B (Non- Emergency Water Transfers): "These provisions do not apply to the treatment of and transfer of water available through OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation for use by OWASA customers. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent OWASA from entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfers to afford OWASA access to its Jordan Lake allocation." This clarifies the flexibility to transfer Jordan Lake water resource allocations through other entities. Countv staff came to the conclusion that Orange Countv has similar interest to 2 transfer Jordan Lake allocations to targeted land use growth area through interlocal agreements with Durham (Eno EDD), Mebane/Buckhorn EDD and transition areas and other economic development areas consistent with the adopted land use plan. This clarification would apply also to Orange County as the County regionally plans for growth and also facilitate the County's request to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) for continued Jordan Lake allocation. It would also be apre-requisite to upcoming interlocal utility service agreements with future economic development partners. Some water system interconnections are presently in place and a study is being done to evaluate hydraulic capacity. This amendment would also be consistent with the County's participation with the Jordan Lake Partnership that is being monitored by Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Director Dave Stancil. The resolution is provided in draft form at Attachment 1 with Orange County's comments noted in red. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact with this resolution. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the resolution and the transmittal of the resolution and letter provided at Attachment 1. RES-2011-005 Attachment 1 3 RESOLUTION REQUESTING CLARIFICATION OF THE 2001 WATER AND SEWER MANAGEMENT, PLANNING AND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT AMONG CARRBORO, CHAPEL HILL, HILLSBOROUGH, ORANGE COUNTY, AND OWASA WHEREAS, Jordan Lake is a future water supply source for Carrboro, Chapel Hill, a~ the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and portions of Orange County; and WHEREAS, OWASA, with the support of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County, applied for and received a Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation from the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) in 1988, for which OWASA has since paid more than $200,000; and WHEREAS, Orange County has a million ion pe~~d~y: allocation from the Jordan Lake water supply which the County intends to draw-~ in they and WHEREAS, Jordan Lake's importance as a future supply sere was confirmed in OWASA's 2001 Comprehensive Water and Sewer A{irs~er ~?d~zn and re-fumed in its 2010 Long-Range Water Supply Plan, which stated that "It i s ~~~ial that 4~IVASA ,retain and acquire access to its [Jordan Lake] allocation"; ate... , WHEREAS, OWASA and Orange ling arr ~ pla~~in~ an a~fi~~e role in the Jordan Lake Partnership, which is facilitating cooi~te~l a~~pli~#io~s t~~ the 1=;MaC by Triangle Area utilities who must justify their need ~'~,ncrng or rg~~i n ~ n ~~,C~i~ir J u i•dan Lake water supply storage allocations; and ~k"`° - 4 "~`- -~.: - ~~~ _ _ WHE,'z~tmded ac~;~o OWASA~~-d Orar-CCounty's allocations will be an import~~ut ~ideration ux aining')~,MC's apprc~t~in those allocations; and ~s . _„ REAS, the Towns of~xrboro. del Hill, and Hillsborough, Orange County, and OWASA adopted a Water and Sew Mana~et, Planning and Boundary Agreement (the Agreement) in X001; and WHEREA;~~anguage in the Bement is unclear about OWASA's and Orange County's ability to acct ~ their respe Jordan Lake water supply storage allocations for use by OWASA and Orate County biers; and Fm. WHEREAS, this lack o~•c1Fa~ity may jeopardize OWASA's and Orange County's ability to obtain the EMC's approval to i~~ain ids their allocations; and WHEREAS, this contributes to greater uncertainty in OWASA's and Orange County's long-range water supply and capital investment planning; and WHEREAS, any change to the Agreement requires approval by all parties to the Agreement. RES-2011-005 4 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE noiD~Qir,~ ~7U A T~~IIT~ T/ A TTTAl1DTTV ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: 1. That the Agreement be clarified with the addition of the following language as a new Subsection 3 to Section VILA (Emergency Water Transfers), and that said language also be added to the existing text of Section VII.B (Non-Emergency Water Transfers): "These provisions do not apply to the treatment of and transfer of water available through OWASA's and Orange County's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocations for use by OWASA and Orange Counh~ c-u~tomers. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent OWASA or Orange .(,~lrl~ fret entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfersr'~~~~j~<l l`3~ASArand Orange County access to ~ their respective Jordan Lake all~ic~~l. " ~~ ~~, ,_ ~,;.:.. ; .r~,. 2. That the Board of ~ County Commr~~ib respecil~~~ requests that this clarification be approved by the Carrboro Board of A~<~ec,n, Chapel" X11 Town Council, Hillsborough Town Board, and the OWA~ ~ R~rd a€-Ea~~~~:+ers. Adopted this the ~~h 20th day of ~1-~--} rirrtEar,~ , ?011 ~` ,: ~,: r a, '°b 4,, ; r~.,~,a-,., "~°r'~ Bernadette Pelissier, Chair ~r R` ,.. :~~ ATTEST. ~~ ~~ `~ ~, .,. .~- a_,~ Donna Baker, County°~lk ~, ":, s+ Y: ~~,... • ~~ 5 [to be printed on BOCC letterhead] January 21, 2011 Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor Mark Chilton, Mayor Town of Chapel Hill Town of Carrboro 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 301 West Main Street Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Carrboro, NC 27510 Tom Stevens, Mayor Gordan Merklein, Chair Town of Hillsborough OWASA Board of Directors 137 North Churton Street 400 Jones Ferry Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 Carrboro, NC 27510 SUBJECT: Orange County Amendments to OWASA'S December 9, 2010 Request to Clarify Certain Language in the Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement l1NASMPBA) Dear Mayor Kleinschmidt, Mayor Chilton, Mayor Stevens, and Chair Merklein: This letter is in response to OWASA's letter dated December 9, 2010 regarding proposed changes to the Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement (WASMPBA). OWASA proposed amendments to the WASMPBA to clarify that the Agreement does not prevent OWASA from entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfers to access its Jordan Lake allocation. Orange County also currently has a Jordan Lake water allocation and the County would like to modify OWASA's request to make it clear that the Agreement does not prevent Orange County from accessing its Jordan Lake allocation. At the January 20, 2011 Board of County Commissioners meeting, the Board adopted the attached Resolution which modified OWASA's Resolution to include Orange County's Jordan Lake water supply allocation. Because any change to the WASMPBA requires the approval of all signatory parties, the County respectfully requests that each of your governing bodies adopt Resolution supporting the clarifying language. If you have further questions or comments about Orange County's proposed changes to OWASA's Resolutions, please contact Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director, at (919) 245-2592 or via a-mail at cbenedictta'~.co.oranae.nc.us. County Planning staff is also available to attend one of your upcoming meetings should you desire a presentation on this topic. Sincerely, 6 Bernadette Pelissier, Chair Orange County Board of Commissioners cc: Frank Clifton, Manager, Orange County Roger Stancil, Manager, Town of Chapel Hill Steven Stewart, Manager, Town of Carrboro Eric Peterson, Manager, Town of Hillsborough Ed Kerwin, Executive Director, OWASA Attachment 2 OWASA ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY t1 public, non profit agency providing water, sewer and reclaimed water services to the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community. December 9, 2010 Bernadette Pelissier, Chair Orange County Commissioners P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor Town of Chapel Hill 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Mark Chilton, Mayor Town of Carrboro 301 West Main Street Carrboro, NC 27510 Tom Stevens, Mayor Town of Hillsborough 137 North Churton Street Hillsborough, NC 27278 SUBJECT: REQUEST TO CLARIFY CERTAIN LANGUAGE IN THE 2001 WATERAND SEWER MANAGEMENT, PLANNING AND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT (WSMPBA) Dear Chair Pelissier, Mayor Chilton, Mayor Kleinschmidt, and Mayor Stevens: I am writing on behalf of the OWASA Board of Directors to request your respective Boards' approval of a clarifying amendment to the 2001 Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement (WSMPBA). We believe that this clarification is needed to implement important elements of OWASA's recently adopted Long-Range Water Supply Plan and to meet our future obligations to the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and to the University of North Carolina as specified in our Sales and Purchase Agreements with those entities. We wish to assure you and your elected Boards that OWASA remains fully committed to the spirit and intent of the WSMPBA and to making decisions that are consistent and compatible with the Towns' and County's land use plans and growth management policies. You may recall that our Long-Range Water Supply Plan recommends that OWASA develop water purchase/sale agreements with neighboring utilities that will secure the permanent ability to cost-effectively purchase water (especially through our Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation) under appropriate conditions of supply and demand consistent with the long-term performance objectives of: 1. Avoiding fixture Water Shortage declarations through temporary purchases of treated water from neighboring utilities. This offers the most cost-effective way to supplement our local supply during the infrequent times of severe drought, equipment failure, 400 Jones Ferry Road Equal Opporzunity Employer Voice (919) 968-4421 Carrboro, NC 27510-2001 Printed on Recycled Paper www.owasa.org 7 Attachment 2 Request to Clarify Certain Language in the WSMPBA December 9, 2010 Page 2 natural or manmade disaster, or other unforeseen circumstance. Purchasing water also reduces (unbudgeted) revenue losses that result from a declared Water Shortage and would have to be recovered through subsequent rate increases; avoids higher customer bills from surcharges imposed during a declared Water Shortage; and lessens the hardship and inconvenience to customers who have already reduced their water use through diligent and ongoing conservation efforts; and 2. Providing additional flexibility and redundancy in the event of critical facility failure, extreme weather, or other unforeseen/ emergency circumstances. The Long-Range Water Supply Plan also recommends that OWASA work cooperatively with the local elected boards to amend the 2001 Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement -only as needed - to resolve any unnecessary constraints on access to our Jordan Lake allocation and to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply for the future. In its present form, we believe the WSMPBA may be construed as impeding OWASA's access to Jordan Lake by its broad prohibition of all cross jurisdictional water transfers except in times of emergency. In fact, our Long-Range Water Supply Plan identifies OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply allocation as an important insurance policy for times of special need, but some of those circumstances may not qualify as "emergencies" under current language of the WSMPBA. The purpose of the proposed clarifying language is to avoid any future misunderstandings or disagreements that might impede the timely access to our Jordan Lake allocation, and to provide greater certainty for OWASA's water supply planning and management efforts. We recommend that the WSMPBA be clarified with the addition of the following language as anew Subsection 3 to Section VILA (Emergency Water Transfers), and that this language also be added to the existing text of Section VII.B (Non-Emergency Water Transfers): "These provisions do not apply to the treatment of and transfer of water available through OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation for use by OWASA customers. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent OWASA from entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfers to afford OWASA access to its Jordan Lake allocation. " Because any change to the WSMPBA requires approval by all signatory parties, we respectfully request that you support the proposed clarifying language. We have experienced the two worst droughts on record since the WSMPBA was first adopted in 2001; and also since that time, the necessary infrastructure has been put in place to treat and deliver water to OWASA customers from our Jordan Lake allocation via Cary and Durham. Full access to that allocation will further reduce our community's risk to water supply shortages, and that access is vital to OWASA's overall mission. 8 Attachment 2 Request to Clarify Certain Language in the WSMPBA December 9, 2010 Page 3 We welcome any further questions or comments you may have. Please contact Ed Kerwin, Executive Director, at ekerwin@owasa.org (919-537-4211) or me at gmerklein@owasa.org (919-962-6172) if you have questions, need more information, or would like us to make a presentation at one of your upcoming meetings. Thank you very much. G erklein Chair, OWASA Board of Directors Attachments: 1. Adopted Resolution Requesting Clarification of the 2001 Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement among Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Orange County and OWASA 2. Potential Questions About OWASA's Proposed Clarifying Language to the Water Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement (December 9, 2010) c: Mr. Frank Clifton, Manager, Orange County Mr. Roger L. Stancil, Manager, Town of Chapel Hill Mr. Steven Stewart, Manager, Town of Carrboro Mr. Eric Peterson, Manager, Town of Hillsborough Ms. Carolyn Elfland, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill OWASA Board of Directors Ed Kerwin, Executive Director Robert Epting, General Counsel 9 Attachment 2 RESOLUTION REQUESTING CLARIFICATION OF THE 2001 WATER AND SEWER MANAGEMENT, PLANNING AND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT AMONG CARRBORO, CHAPEL HILL, HILLSBOROUGH, ORANGE COUNTY, AND OWASA WHEREAS, Jordan Lake is a future water supply source for Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, OWASA, with the support of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County, applied for and received a Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation from the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) in 1988, for which OWASA has since paid more than $200,000; and WHEREAS, Jordan Lake's importance as a future supply source was confirmed in OWASA's 2001 Comprehensive Water and Sewer Master Plan and re-affirmed in its 2010 Long-Range Water Supply Plan, which stated that "It is essential that OWASA retain and acquire access to its [Jordan Lake] allocation"; and WHEREAS, OWASA is playing an active role in the Jordan Lake Partnership, which is facilitating coordinated applications to the EMC by Triangle Area utilities who must justify their need for increasing or retaining their Jordan Lake water supply storage allocations; and WHEREAS, unimpeded access to OWASA's allocation will be an important consideration in obtaining the EMC's approval to retain that allocation; and WHEREAS, the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough, Orange County, and OWASA adopted a Water and Sewer Management, Planning. and Boundary Agreement (the Agreement) in 2001; and WHEREAS, language in the Agreement is unclear about OWASA's ability to access its Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation for use by OWASA customers; and WHEREAS, this lack of clarity may jeopardize OWASA's ability to obtain the EMC's approval to retain its allocation; and WHEREAS, this contributes to greater uncertainty in OWASA's long-range water supply and capital investment planning; and WHEREAS, any change to the Agreement requires approval by all parties to the Agreement. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY: ~o 1. That the Agreement be clarified with the addition of the following language as a new Subsection 3 to Section VILA (Emergency Water Transfers), and that said language also be added to the existing text of Section VII.B (Non-Emergency Water Transfers): Attachment 2 AGENDA December 9, 2010 Page 2 "These provisions do not apply to the treatment of and transfer of water available through OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation for use by OWASA customers. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent OWASA from entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfers to afford OWASA access to its Jordan Lake allocation. " 2. That the Board of Directors respectfully requests that this clarification be approved by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Chapel Hill Town Council, Hillsborough Town Board, and the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Adopted this the 9a' day of December, 2010. Gordon Merklein, Chair ATTEST: Braxton Foushee, Secretary 11 Attachment 2 Potential Questions About OWASA's Proposed Clarifying Language to the Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement (WSMPBA) December 9, ZO10 Why is it necessary to change the WSMPBA? Although we do not believe that the WSMPBA was intended to prevent or restrict access to OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation, the Agreement can be interpreted that way in its present form. We believe that a simple clarification is needed to implement OWASA's recently adopted Long- Range Water Supply Plan and to meet our future obligations to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the University as specified in our Sale and Purchase Agreements with those entities. The proposed clarification will help avoid future misunderstandings or disagreements that could impede the timely access to OWASA's Jordan Lake water and will provide greater certainty for our water supply planning efforts. The WSMPBA may be construed as impeding access to Jordan Lake by its broad prohibition of all cross jurisdictional water transfers except in times of emergency. Our Long-Range Water Supply Plan identifies Jordan Lake as an important insurance policy for times of special need, but some of the circumstances when it may be appropriate to purchase water may not qualify as "emergencies" under a strict interpretation of current language in the WSMPBA. What change is OWASA proposing? We recommend adding the following language to Sections VILA and B., which define Emergency and Non-Emergency Water Transfers: "These provisions do not apply to the treatment and transfer of water available through OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation for use by OWASA customers. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent OWASA from entering into agreements as necessary to provide for water transfers to afford OWASA access to its Jordan Lake allocation. " Doesn't this simply represent another means to "promote new growth and development?" No. It is a means to accommodate, rather than promote, new growth and development already anticipated in the comprehensive plans and policies of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and UNC. It is a means by which OWASA can best serve the needs of our current and future customers, and it is consistent with our Mission Statement regarding local growth and development: "We will manage our responsibilities in a manner consistent and compatible with the adopted growth management policies and land use plans of the Town of Carrboro, the Town of Chapel Hill, and Orange County." OWASA's core mission is to meet the water and sewer utility needs of the Carrboro/Chapel Hi1UiINC community. We believe it is necessary to clarify language in the WSMPBA in order to fulfill that mission. 12 Attachment 2 WSMPBA Clarification -Potential Questions December 9, 2010 Page 2 With access to its Jordan Lake allocation, won't OWA5A be expected to sell water to others? Nothing in the proposed WSMPBA clarification or in OWASA's existing agreements with Cary, Durham, and Hillsborough commits OWASA to sell water when it is not available. The Long- Range Water Supply Plan recommends that we "develop water purchase/sale agreements with neighboring utilities that will secure the permanent ability to cost-effectively purchase water under annropriate conditions of supkly and demand ..." The Statewide Drought Preparedness and Response Act (HB 2499), adopted by the NC General Assembly in 2008, already empowers the Secretary of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources to require water systems to transfer water to other systems if the Governor declares a water shortage emergency. How is this proposed change related to OWASA's intent to purchase water before declaring Water Shortage restrictions and imposing customer surcharges in the future? It is vital that we retain the flexibility to obtain water from neighboring jurisdictions in a manner that is operationally and financially most beneficial to our customers -whether before, after, or during the implementation of Water Shortage restrictions and rate surcharges. The Long-Range Water Supply Plan identified Jordan Lake as the most economical and environmentally desirable source of supplemental water beyond our existing University Lake/Cane Creek/Quarry Reservoir system. The only currently viable access to our Jordan Lake water is through the Town of Cary and City of Durham treatment/transmission systems. A strict interpretation of current "emergency" and "non-emergency" language in the WSMPBA may constrain access to our Jordan Lake water at times when it would be most beneficial to our customers. Does OWASA still believe it is necessary to purchase water before declaring Water Shortage restrictions and customer surcharges? Yes, but we would notes our customers and local elected boards in advance of an impending need to purchase water if reservoir and storage conditions do not improve. We continue to believe this strategy offers the most cost-effective way to temporarily supplement our local supply during infrequent times of extended drought, equipment failure, natural or man-made disaster, or other unforeseen circumstances. It avoids substantially higher customer bills that would result from water rate surcharges in effect during a declared shortage, and it reduces the likelihood that OWASA will have to recover lost revenues (resulting from mandatory restrictions) through subsequent rate increases. This approach also lessens the hardship and inconvenience to customers who have already reduced their water use through diligent and ongoing conservation efforts. OWASA customers have reduced their water use by 25 percent since 2002. As our community becomes even more water-efficient in the future through additional conservation efforts, including the increased use of reclaimed and other non-potable water sources, customer demand will become more "hardened;" i.e., it will become more and more difficult to reduce demands during times of extended droughts or other shortage events. Nevertheless, we will continue to promote water conservation and efficiency through customer awareness and education, targeted technical assistance, and support for increased water efficiency standards in new and renovated buildings. 13 Attachment 2 WSMPBA Clarification -Potential Questions December 9, 2010 Page 3 How will OWASA get water from Jordan Lake? For the foreseeable future, water from OWASA's Jordan Lake storage allocation will be withdrawn and treated by the Town of Cary and delivered to OWASA customers through existing pipeline interconnections with Cary and Durham. Further in the future, OWASA might obtain its Jordan Lake water through additional intake and treatment facilities that may be developed by Durham, Chatham County, and others. Will Jordan Lake be any more reliable or "drought-proof' during drought conditions when OWASA's reservoirs are being drawn down to critical levels? Jordan Lake proved to be a robust and reliable source during the record droughts of 2001-02 and 2007-08. The NC Division of Water Resources Cape Fear Basin Hydrologic Model will provide a new assessment of Jordan Lake's water supply yield under extreme conditions of drought and demand as the model is updated as part of the current allocation process. Expanding OWASA's water supply portfolio will better prepare us to meet the community's water needs under a wide range of supply and demand scenarios, especially in an era of increasing climatic uncertainty. Why can't we "live within our own means" and not have to depend on Jordan Lake in the future? It is likely that we will need supplemental water to avoid (or reduce the frequency and duration of) mandatory Water Shortage restrictions and costly drought surcharges for our customers before the expanded Quarry Reservoir becomes available around 2035. According to the Long- Range Water Supply Plan, our existing Cane Creek/University Lake/Quarry Reservoir system will have to be at least 75% to 85% full in May to avoid Water Shortage declarations under the demand conditions projected for 2035. Because Jordan Lake is the most economical and environmentally acceptable source of supplemental water, using the allocation that OWASA has retained since 1989 is in fact "living within our means." Why is it necessary to change the WSMPBA now, rather than later? Modifying the WSMPBA is one of the primary recommendations of OWASA's Long-Range Water Supply Plan. We believe it is important to proceed now - in advance of the next serious water shortage. We also believe that current members of the OWASA Board, as well as current elected officials on the Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County governing boards, are all familiar with relevant details of our Long-Range Water Supply Plan, and that they have a good understanding of the basis of our request. Additionally, the Jordan Lake Partnership, in which OWASA is playing an active role, is facilitating coordinated, region-wide applications to the NC Environmental Management Commission to justify increasing or retaining the Jordan Lake water supply storage allocations of some JLP members. Reasonable and unimpeded access will be an important consideration in OWASA's ability to retain our current allocation which the Long- Range Water Supply Plan identified as vital to cost-effectively meeting our community's future water needs. 14