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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-24-2012 - 4aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 24, 2012 Action Agenda Item No. 4 0- SUBJECT: OWASA Annual Update Presentation DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No ATTACHMENT(S): 1/9/12 Letter from OWASA Board Chair Gordon Merklein INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board, 245- 2130 Frank Clifton, County Manager, 245- 2300 Ed Kerwin, OWASA Executive Director, 968 -4421 Gordon Merklein, OWASA Board Chair, 968 -4421 PURPOSE: To receive a presentation and information from the Orange Water and Sewer Authority ( OWASA) on the recent activities. BACKGROUND: OWASA Board of Directors' Chair Gordon Merklein will make a presentation to the Board of Commissioners on recent OWASA activities and specifically addressing the topics outlined in the attachment. OWASA Executive Director Ed Kerwin will also be at the meeting, and Orange County's appointees to the OWASA Board, Fred Battle & Terri Buckner, have also been invited to attend. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with receiving the presentation. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the presentation as information and provide any feedback as necessary. LJlld• January 9, 2012 ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY A public, non-profit agency providing water, sewer and reclaimed water services to the Carrboro- Chapel Hill community. Chair Bernadette Pelissier Orange County Board of Commissioners Post Office Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Dear Chair Pelissier, We appreciate the opportunity to make our annual presentation to the Board of Commissioners on OWASA's initiatives at your January 24, 2012 meeting. We understand you are especially interested in the Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement as it pertains to our access and use of our Jordan Lake water supply allocation. Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement ( WSMPBA) On December 9, 2010, the OWASA Board adopted a resolution to clarify certain language in the 2001 WSMPBA so that the Agreement cannot be interpreted as a constraint on access to OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation. Hillsborough and Orange County adopted resolutions on March 14, 2011 and March 15, 2011, respectively, that would apply OWASA's requested text change to their jurisdictions as well. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved the proposed change for Hillsborough and Orange County on March 1, 2011, but not for OWASA. The Chapel Hill Town Council had originally approved OWASA's request on February 28, 2011, but on April 25, 2011 reconsidered its previous action and rejected the text change. On June 9, 2011, the OWASA Board resolved to adopt and maintain a policy to purchase water from other communities or obtain water from its Jordan Lake storage allocation only after first declaring a Stage 1 Water Supply Shortage — provided that Carrboro and Chapel Hill approve the previously requested WSMPBA clarification. At our October 20, 2011 meeting, the OWASA Board discussed its June 9, 2011 policy resolution regarding water purchases during drought and the importance of securing permanent access to our Jordan Lake water supply allocation without the constraints of language presently contained in the WSMPBA. The Board was in agreement to modify its June 9t' position and adopted a resolution stating that: "OWASA shall only purchase water from other communities or obtain water from its Jordan Lake storage allocation during periods of increased drought risk after it has declared a Stage 1 Water Supply Shortage per OWASA's State - approved Water Shortage Response Plan and OWASA's Water Conservation Standards as incorporated therein. " 400 Jones Ferry Road Equal Opportunity Employer Voice (919) 968 -4421 Carrboro, NC 275 1 0 -200 1 Printed on Recycled Paper www.owasa.org 91 Chair Bernadette Pelissier January 9, 2012 Page 2 At our January 12, 2012 meeting, the OWASA Board will discuss a Proposed Drought Response Operating Protocol (DROP) which describes the procedures (including water purchases) and criteria that OWASA will use for making water supply and demand decisions during an extended drought. At the meeting, the Board will also discuss the timing of when OWASA should initiate a request to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission to convert our Jordan Lake water supply Level II allocation (future) to Level I (active). The agenda materials for the January 12, 2012 meeting can be found at: http:// www. owasa. org/about/board- meeting_s.asl2x. Rogers Road Community OWASA continues to work closely with the County staff (and other local governments) to provide information regarding the provision of water and sewer services to the Historic Rogers Road area. We have developed technical information and cost estimates for various conceptual layouts and have provided lists and maps of properties and existing water and sewer infrastructure in the vicinity. Since the October 4, 2011 meeting where the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved funding for providing water service to certain properties within the Historic Rogers Road area, OWASA staff have worked closely with Orange County staff to establish streamlined procedures so that eligible property owners can request and receive the intended benefit. Working within the parameters of the State Statutes and our policies and founding agreements, we will continue to support this important initiative. Forestry Management Pursuant to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's (WRC) forestry management plan for OWASA's 490 -acre Cane Creek Wildlife Mitigation Tract, 25 acres of declining quality Virginia pine were clear -cut, and 25 acres of hardwood forest were thinned during the fall of 2010. The 25 -acre clear -cut was replanted with loblolly pines in January 2011, as prescribed by the WRC plan. All operations were conducted according to forestry management best practices; however, our plan protects substantially larger buffer areas than required by existing regulations. We will complete the phased implementation of additional forest management measures on this property in the coming years in compliance with conditions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 Permit that allowed construction of the Cane Creek Reservoir. Upon the recommendation and guidance of the WRC and North Carolina Forest Service, OWASA also commissioned development of a draft plan for sustainable management of our remaining forest lands. We hosted a community meeting in November 2010 to present and receive comments on the draft plan prepared by our consulting forester, and we received extensive comments from citizens, local elected boards, several State agencies, and others. We will make presentations and receive comments from the local elected boards before the OWASA Board considers formal action on a management plan for our remaining forest lands. 4 Chair Bernadette Pelissier January 9, 2012 Page 3 We look forward to meeting with you on January 24, 2012. Sincerely, 2§1 -, Gordon Merklein, Chair OWASA Board of Directors c: Mayor Mark Chilton, Town of Carrboro Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Town of Chapel Hill Mayor Tom Stevens, Town of Hillsborough OWASA Board of Directors Frank Clifton, Orange County Manager Roger L. Stancil, Chapel Hill Town Manager Matt Efird, Interim Carrboro Town Manager Eric Peterson, Hillsborough Town Manager Ed Kerwin, OWASA Executive Director