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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 08-29-2002 - 1 I ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION AGENDA A B T ACT Meeting Date: August 29, 2002 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Oran,a Count 250 th Anniversa Celebration DEPARTMENT: Economic Development PUBLIC HEARING (YIN) N Commission ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CO TA T#. ianne Reid, ext 2325 TELEPHONE E IUt : Hillsborough 732-8181 1 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To update the Board on plans for the celebration of Orange County's 250th anniversary. BACKGROUND: September 9, 2002 marks the 250th anniversary of the first colonial court of n the County of Orange, held at Grayfleids along the Eno.River. A planning group—The Orange County 250 Committee— has been meeting regularly to plan a series of celebration activities for the year. Plans for the kickoff ofl~celebration have been finalized, as follows: s: On Sunday, September 8, the public is invited to celebrate Orange County's 250th Anniversary with a walk through history. Attendees may park vehicles in the lot by the Orange County Sheriffs Department on East Margaret Lane in downtown vn Hillsborou h. Shuttles will begin leaving at 12:30 pm to take people to Moorefields, near the site of the frst colonial court in Orange County. At Moorefields,lds, the Orange County 4-H will provide a presentation on farming in Orange County. At 1:00 pm, participants join in a 3.5-mile hike back to downtown Hillsborough, stopping along the way to experience Orange County history John Blackfeathet Jeffries, of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, will discuss Native American history in Orange County. Hikers will pass the old slave cemetery on West Margaret Lane and hear Jack Payne, an African American storyteller. The hike is sponsored by the Trading Path Preservation Association. After the walk, participants can return to the Old °rare e County Cpurthouse on King Street at 4:00 pm to hear a keynote address b ► Harry L. Watson, PhD. Mr. Watson serves as Director of the ' NC Center for the Study of the American n South and to-editor itor f its journal, Southern Cultures. He is also a professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of History. His specialties are the antebellum South, Jacksonian America, and the history of North Carolina. The Hillsborough Historical Society is sponsoring the address. 2 For those not interested in the 3.5 mile hike, Colonial Guides of Hillsborough will provide a free guided walking tour of downtown'Hilisboroughion Sunday afternoon. The tour will begin at the Orange County Sheriffs Department on East Margaret Lane at 2:00 pm and will include a tour of the Dickson House, the Regulator Marker, the Courthouse, and many of Hillsborough's other historic sites. The tour, which lasts for approximately 1% hours, will conclude at the Old Courthouse in time for the lecture. On Monday, September 9, beginning at I I:40 am at the Old Courthouse in downtown Hillsborough, the acoustic band Mappamundi will play instrumental selections from their Colonial American music program. At noon, there will be a ringing of church bells across Orange County, followed by a blessing by John Eilackfeather Jeffries. Barry Jacobs, Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners and chair of the 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee, will make brief remarks, followed by remarks by Iniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Dr. James Moeser, State Senator Howard Lee, Hillsborough author Lee Smith and Chapel Hill historian Dr. John ouglas Eyre. To close the program, Mappamundi will sing two selections. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Thanks to corporate donations, there will be no financial impact to the County. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board review the proposed activities and comment as necessary. ORANGE COUNTY BOARD of COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA A ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: August 29, 2002 Action Agenda Item No. 2 SUBJECT: Short and Lone Term Water Su el el Issues DEPARTMENT: County Engineer/ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) N o Cooperative Extension ATTACHMENT(S): 8/23/02 County Engineer Memo INFORMATION ION CONTACT: 8/23/02 Town of (Hillsborough Draft Stage Paul Thames, 245-2303 VI Restrictions Drought Ordinance Fletcher Barber, 2452O5i Revision 8/14102 Orange County Health Department'� �'' TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Drought Response Report Hillsborough 732-8181 Orange County Cooperative Extension Chapel Hill 968-4501 Drought Relief Efforts Durham 8/14/02 Town of Hillsborough Staff Paper Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive and discuss reports on the drought situation, including current and pending water supply allocations and restrictions, and effects on the agricultural community. . BACKGROUND: Public water supplies throughout Orange County have continued to decline in recent weeks as the drought worsens. County staff have collaborated with municipal and other governmental officials, as well as Orange County public water sup li+ rs, to analyze the drought's implications for short-term water supplies and options for promulgating atin additional water restrictions., it is likely that by the time of this August 20 work session, the water level in Lake Orange will have dropped below the point at which the imposition of Stage Vi restrictions will have been triggered by the provisions of the County's drought/rater use ordinance and the Eno River Capacity Use Agreement. The County Engineer has prepared the accompanying memo to outline issues of immediate concern. He will provide a brief verbal report and respond to the Board's questions at this work session. The Board may also wish to discuss and provide direction to staff regarding longer term water supply considerations, such as a follow up to the County's Water Summit held earlier in 2002. As noted in the accompanying staff paper, the Health Department has engaged in outreach efforts to inform well owners about potential drought effects on their water supplies and measures they might consider to preserve their own individual water supplies. Health Department representatives will provide follow up to Commissioners' questions and comments as appropriate. On July 23, 2002, Orange County, along with 72 other counties in North Carolina, was declared an agricultural disaster area. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, in collaboration with the local Farm service Agency and other agricultural related agencies, has been working closely with local farmers to determine relief efforts and the impact of the drought on these farming enterprises. Staff have prepared a list of Cooperative Extension activities in response to the drought, and will attend the work session to provide further information on the educational and federally assisted programs being offered for drought relief. FINANCIAL ICIAL IMPA+ T There is no financial impact associated with receiving and discussing these staff reports. However, the County will need to devote additional staff resources towards the public education effort and if necessary, financial resources towards mitigating adverse consequences for County human service clients who lack the resources to deal with the worst drought impacts. There are also some costs, not yet quantified, associate. with the use of new water coolers in lieu of existing water fountains and water-free hand cleaning supplies in County facilities. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: I receive and discuss the reports; 2) endorse changes to the drought/water use ordinance that would mandate the use of single service in County restaurants; 3) endorse the recommended public information strategies as outlined in the County Engineer's report; 4) endorse the use of water conservation technologies in County facilities where appropriate; and 5) provide additional direction, as appropriate, to the Manager and staff. o . rviEmoRANDurvi TO County Commissioners COPIES John Link, County Manager Rod Visser, Assistant County Manager FROM Paul Thames,PE, County Engineer DATE: August 23, 2002 SUBJECT: Drought and drought response related activities in Orange County As per the request of the BOCC,the following information is provided relative to the drought currently affecting Orange County as well as the central portions of North and South Carolina, Geor u`a and Virginia). Orange County and central North Carolina are in the fourth year of below normal rainfall (drou. t) conditions. The impact of the below normal rainfall finally became readily noticeable to the general public in the spring of 2002 when local surface water supply reservoirs failed to completely refill over the winter or—as in the case of Lake Orange—refilled very late in the season. Lake Orange,which normally refills by mid to late January did not completely fill until mid April. OWASA's Cane Creek reservoir and Durham's reservoir never completely refilled. Other indicators of the effects of the drought are: 1)record low stream flows for the time of year(80%percent of streams have had less than 10%of normal seasonal stream flow); and 2)water levels measured at well over 50%of USGS groundwater level monitoring wells in central North Carolina are either lower than the previous record low levels or are approaching record low levels. The outlook for the end of the drought or the lessening of drought conditions is unclear. While some meteorolo tists have hypothesized that the area is in the fourth year of a seven-year thought cycle, others predict a near-term(winter of 2002)return to slightly wetter than normal weather conditions as a result of a mild El Nino climatic condition. However,if area's weather pattern follows the usual wet/dry climatic conditions for the remainder of 2002, Orange County can expect even drier weather in the sort term (the area's driest part of the year runs from mid September to mid-November). In the typical years, relief from seasonal dry conditions comes with the winter rains begin at some point between late November and mid-January. Historically, Orange County has occasionally seen some relief during the very dry season by way of significant rainfall quantities generated by hurricanes,tropical depressions and nor'easters. The water supply situation for the portion of central Orange County(Hillsborough and Efland area) that depends on water from the Eno River has been much worse than usual in some ways and better in others. That is, conditions involving normal instream flow and remaining water storage in Lake Orange have been worse than have been experienced since the development of Lake Orange in the early 1970's. Initiation of water releases from Lake Orange and the implementation of withdrawal and customer use restrictions associated with the County's (and Town of Hillsborough) drought ordinance and the Eno River Capacity Use Agreement began approximately ten weeks earlier than normal. Accordingly,the water level in Lake Orange is at a historic low(for any time of year). This, in turn,means that water 464-- customers of Hillsborough and Orange-Alamance are facing very stringent water use restrictions and Piedmont Minerals is facing a potential complete shut-down of its operations. However,the first time availability of raw water from Hillsborough's new reservoir(which has never completely filled)has helped not only the Town,but Orange-Alamance and Piedmont Minerals as well, delay the imposition of ever more stringent(Stage VD water use restrictions (and associated costs or losses) for an additional two or three weeks. The availability of water from the new Hillsborough reservoir has been and continues to be a si 'ficant asset to this area at a time when water chemistry issues (different methods/chemicals used to disinfect treated water) and the water supply shortfalls experienced by almost all area utilities (excepting primarily the Mebane/Graham and Burlington systems) have severely impacted the ability of those water utilities to provide water for use here. County engineering staff anticipate that, :*ven the existing water level at Lake Orange (8'11"below spilling as of 8/23) and the current rate of fall in the water level (approximately 1"per day), Stage VI water use restrictions will be implemented on or before Wednesday, August 28th(absent significant rainfall in the interim). Water use restrictions already imposed on individual water customers of the Hillsborough and Orange-Alamance water systems (through Stage V of the County and Hillsborough drought ordinances)have prohibited all outside uses of water as well as the filling or refilling new or existing indoor or outdoor pools and have"strongly"encouraged the use of a number of techniques for conserving water for various indoor water uses. The provisions of the Eno River Capacity Use Agreement (analogous to the Stage VI level of the drought ordinance restrictions)call for the Town's no allocation to be reduced from 1,130, 000 gallons per day(gpd) to 680,000 gpd; Orange Alamance's allocation to be reduced from 620,000 gpd to 370,000 gpd; and Piedmont Mineral's allocation to be reduced fi-om 190,000 gpd to 0. However, Hillsborough can supply its full current demand(approximately 1,000,000 gpd)from its new reservoir for approximately 100 more days; and Orange-Alamance has been able—thus far—to obtain sufficient water,by pumping from its three wound water wells and purchasing treated water from both Mebane and Graham, to meet its current demand(approximately 1,000,000 gpd). Piedmont Minerals is in the worst shape in that it will only be able to obtain the untreated water it needs for its production processes by utilizing and recycling water stored in a few on-site ponds. All available information on Lake Orange indicates that that the imposition of Stage VI drought ordinance restrictions coincides with a remaining water storage capacity of 30 percent of the total capacity or approximately 140 million gallons. At the current rate of water demand(620,000 gpd for Orange-Alamance, 190,000 mgd for Piedmont Minerals), in-channel loses and evaporation,these numbers indicate that Lake Orange has approximately 100 days of storage left. Hillsborough,has not been using its Eno/Lake Orange allocation for the last three weeks,but will probably be using its allocation within the next week. A calculation incorporating the additional release would show the remaining days of storage capacity to be halved(50 days). From a practical standpoint,however,Lake Orange may have only between 20 and 30 days of storage left since it appears that a large portion of the remaining storage may be inaccessible. That is, the lowest gate in the intake structure(which opens upward and is intended to be the means for draining the lake) is now known to be malfunctioning to the point of inoperability(it appears to be binding so ti: tly that it cannot be raised). Furthermore, the gate also appears to be completely buried in the silt that has collected around the outside of the intake structure. Utile gate were opened and then could not be closed as a consequence of silt filling the lower portion of the intake structure and gate opening or if there were some mechanical failure that impaired the functioning of the gate, the ability of the lake to impound water would be severely compromised, at least in the near term. Accordingly,it is probable that engineering staff will ultimately recommend that the lower gate not be utilized to access the last of the water impounded in Lake Orange. The Stage VI provisions of the County and the Town thought ordinance call for the imposition of water rationing on the Hillsborough and the Orange Alamance water system customers. The nature, extent, methodology, etc., of rationing are not specified by the ordinances. The Town of Hillsborough is not yet ready to impose actual rationing on its customers. It has as much remaining water supply capacity,in terms of remaining days of supply, as OWASA or Durham. Neither of these utilities is planning to implement rationing at this time and both continue to allow some level of outside use of water for plants and so forth. Furthermore,water rationing is very problematic from a financial standpoint for all water utilities, including Hillsborough's. That is, the fixed costs of operating a water utility do not diminish with a decreased rate of water production,while water sales derived income does diminish. Hillsborough's utility funds have already been severely stressed by the costs associated with development of its new reservoir and expansion/improvement/renovation of its water treatment plant. Orange Alamance, on the other hand,might prefer water rationing to purchasing treated water from other utilities at costs which significantly exceed the cost of treating its own water. However, it has no legislative authority to impose rationing or penalties associated with overuse. Orange County does have the legislative authority to impose rationing, but it does not operate a water system or have water customers and thus lacks any practical means of monitoring and enforcing a rationing strategy. From a practical standpoint, Orange County's role in a water rationing process will be limited to: 1) adopting and enforcing criminal penalties if the BOCC so desires)related to the failure of individual water customers(within County jurisdiction)to meet water use limits set by the utilities;2) taking a lead role in reducing water consumption and implementing water conservation techniques and practices within the facilities under County operation and control, 3)providing public information and educational outreach , to citizens as to water conservation techniques that will allow households to continue functioning with drastically reduced water consumption; 4)providing material support such as bottled water,paper plates, etc.,to those at risk households already within the County's social support system; and 5)providing staff support in advisory roles to utilities, as necessary,to devise water rationing strate!.es. Over the last several weeks, County staff(Health, Emergency Management, Social Services, Cooperative Extension,Natural Resources Conservation Service, ERCD, Engineering, Manager's Office)have been meeting with local utility staff, as well NC Division of Water Resources staff to discuss strategies for de:ling with various aspects of drought,water well depletion,rationing,public outreach/education and so forth. Recommendations for BOCC review and approval that are emanating from the various discussions are as follows: • Hold a joint—County, Town of Hillsborough, Orange-Alamance, OWASA—press conference, possibly on Friday,August 30th to provide drought and water conservation information • Announce new Stage VI water use restrictions for customers using the Eno ver water supply, primarily an outright requirement to use single service plates, cups, utensils at restaurants(requires that the BOCC modify its drought ordinance at August 29th work session) • Announce a coordinated drought web-site that we are now creating • Provide a list of severe-condition water conservation techniques • Kick off a campaign soliciting donations of bottled water and paper plate type products for low income households depending on both municipal water systems and wells • Publicize a telephone hotline to deal with drought, water conservation, ground water and well questions and issues • Announce several water savings techniques to be utilized by the County(cut off water fountains to use water cooler systems, the availability of water-free hand cleaning in restrooms [where appropriate—food preparation, daycare, etc, have statutory requirements for soap and water hand cleaning], and the like) in buildings and facilities that it owns or controls These staff meetings are ongoing and it is possible.that additional recommendations will be available for BOCC discussion at its August 29th work session. Please note that water conservation techniques for individual water consumers will be identical or nearly so for households supplied by water wells or municipal surface water systems If I may provide additional information or clarification of this infonnation,please advise. Proposed Stage 6 Water Restrictions I Rationing Town of Hillsborough Utilities Department, August 23,2002 The following is proposed for Stage 6 water restrictions,to be added to the Hillsborough Town Code, at Section 14-40.3(e), after the opening paragraph,replacing current items 1 &2: 1. The use of single service plates, utensils, and cups is required in restaurants and cafeterias (industrial &institutional), and recommended for residential users. 2. Hotels and motels are required to offer guests staying multiple nights the option to not have their bed sheets changed daily. 3. Bottled water is recommended to use for drinking and cooking. 4. All customers are recommended to NOT use garbage disposals or automatic dishwashers. 5. Fire protection systems that expend water during testing are requir to only be tested the minimum amount required by governing re lations. 6. Installation of water saving fixtures (shower heads, faucet aeratorsirestrictors, toilet tank inserts, etc.)is recommended. 7. Use of"waterless hand sanitize?'(instead of soap &water) for cleaning hands is recommended for all water customers. Where soap and water is required to be available by State law(restaurant rest rooms, etc.), it is recommended that waterless hand sanitizer be made available in addition to soap. 8. Limiting of toilet flushing is recommended,within reason. 9. Use of portable toilets is recommended for businesses, industry, etc. 10. Large commercial and institutional water users shall be contacted to determine specific ways their individual water use can be curtailed, 11. No water use is allowed outside at any time. 12. The Town website wo.rw.ci.hillsborough.nc.us has further water saving tips for water users. 13. It shall be unlawful to fail to act in accordance therewith or use water in any manner or attempt to evade or avoid such water rationing restrictions. 14. Fire protection will be maintained,but where possible tank trucks shall use raw water. 15. The Town will further curtail usage or enhance water availability with the following practices: (0 Water pressure in the Town distribution system shall be lowered by decreasing tank holding levels, to the extent possible. (ii.) If flushing of water lines is required for water quality concerns, the water will be captured in a tanker and transported upstream of the raw water intake for reintroduction into the river. (iii) Other potential water sources will be evaluated and utilized, if feasible (investigate rock quarries,ponds, springs, other water utilities, etc.). (iv) Inform local daily newspaper of the daily water usage, reservoir level, and goal for water usage for daily publication, to enhance public awareness. This information will also be posted periodically on the Town website." The following is proposed for Stage 6 water restriction civil penalty, to be added to the Hillsborough Town Code, at Section 14-41.1(b),replacing"and stage VI"with the following: 4', and$150.00 during stage VI." This modification will change the total fine for violating Stage 6 restrictions to $200.00 (the additional $50.00 is stated in paragraph(a)). 8 Drought Response Report Orange County August 14, 2002 Background There has been a fair amount of both media and public attention to the worsening drought conditions throughout the spring and summer. While the majority of the focus has been on public water supplies and indeed those are vital to service the majority of the population, it is important to remember that between 30740%of our population are served by wells. Some of the issues related to wells going dry and appropriate response to other aspects of the drought that overlap into the public water supply area include: emergency supplies for residents served by individual wells flat go dry,the education of the public about water conservation, the use of untreated graywater for irrigation purposes, and recommendations to food service establishments on how to reduce water usage and stilt maintain good sanitation. It will be important to develop a local comprehensive drought management plan that incorporates practices for all water users; establishes cooperation among all jurisdictions; provides a framework for emergency supplies; and integrates both public water supplies and a rural community approach into such a plan. Dry Wells When a water supply well begins showing symptoms of going dry,it is usually exhibited by surging in water pressure, air in the pipes, and periods when the water does not flow. After turning the water off and letting the well recharge for a period of time„ flow may be restored. However, a well may reach a point where water is pumped out at a rate faster than it can be recharged. This is referred to as the well"going dry". The Health Department's Environmental Health:Division becomes aware&these situations only as well owners come to the office to apply for replacement well permits. Applications are typically received during the dry summer and fall seasons to replace dry wells, however our ability to search records in prior years for the number of"replacement wells" is limited. Anecdotally, we have observed that the number of applications received during this summer season is higher than we have seen in the past. In the period between June 1st and July 14th 2002,the Environmental Health office processed 60 well permit applications. Of these, 11 (18%)were to replace wells or springs that had gone dry or were low on water. From July15th to August :13th 2002,the office received another 60 well permit applications. Of these, 18 (30%) were replacements for existing wells or springs that were going dry. An additional 4 or 5 of the wells were drilled for irrigation purposes or for livestock. Of the wells that were reported to have problems with going dry, a vast majority of them were either springs or large diameter hand-dug or bored wells. These wells are supplied by very shallow sources of water and are rarely more than 30 or 40 feet deep. As such,they are susceptible to variations in the water table and are much more re.a 71y affected by seasonal drought. Since the source of water is traveling in the soil layer over consolidated rock, they also are susceptible to contamination by bacteria and high levels of minerals. Only four of the problem wells had been chilled wells(6 inch diameter). Most of these were older wells and generally shallower than"modem"drilled wells. Thee of these are in an area of the county that is known for low-yield wells, and had reportedly had problems in previous dry periods. For the replacement wells that have been drilled; the depths and yields have been typical of other wells recently constructed in the county. In other words,the presence of a shallow well that had gone dry in the area did not necessarily predict problems in finding water in the new well. Environmental Health continues to give priority to applicants with water supply problems. These permits are processed within 24 hours, some of them the same day. Consequences of Dry Wells Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the Health Department occurs when wells start going dry either sporadically or en masse. Residents may be left without water to drink, to flush the commode, or to maintain basic sanitation levels in the home. Bottled water can alleviate the drinking water demand and its use also partially removes some of the deficiency of water from the well and frees it for other purposes. The lack of water to flush commodes and wash hands could lead to moderate or even severe public health consequences as modern day plumbing doesn't work without water. Cleaning and disinfecting one's hands can be adequately provided for in the short term with waterless sanitizers, but there is no real solution other than water for flushing commodes. Aside from the practical limits of supplying the water to homes for use to flush commodes,there are some legal barriers and health aspects to consider for many of the stopgap solutions that many have used in the past First,the "spiking" of wells or hauling water m to fill the bore hole has been deemed by the state as needing an injection permit in the past which is quite an involved process. Environmental Health has confirmed with the state that this interpretation is still valid. The concern in this practice is contamination of the groundwater by water that is of unknown or questionable quality. Another practice is the use of dry ice to further fracture the well is questionable as to its effectiveness and may even cause the well to collapse or be damaged. This practice is one that has anecdotal history of increasing the flow from a well,but no scientific studies have been found that substantiate these claims. There is a practice called hydro-fracturing (or "fracidng") the well, which is acceptable, but it generally only increases the flow by a small percentage of the original flow. Finally, many times neighbors will let someone with a dry well hook up to their water supply temporarily. This practice is acceptable with a couple of precautions. First, if the water is for consumption,it should be transmitted through a hose or conduit suitable for potable water and not through a normal garden hose. Secondly, in the event the home supplying the water is connected to a public water supply,there are plumbing code requirements for tie connection that are designed to prevent cross-contamination of the public water source from the private well. Gra ater Reuse This issue has been in the news a lot lately as many residents in North Carolina are affected by the drought. On the surface, it seems quite logical and practical to use the leftover water from 10 non-commode fixtures(graywater) for watering and irrigation purposes,but at this point there are several reasons why this practice should not be encouraged or condoned. The first and maybe the most salient reason is that it is illegal in North Carolina to dispose of wastewater in an unapproved manner. Dipping and dumping or otherwise discharging graywater from sinks and other fixtures is not an approved method as the water has not been effectively treated and as such, surface application is not an acceptable disposal method. Some states do allow for the use of graywater,but most have some level of treatment required before discharge or other conditions regarding its handling and placement. The NC Division of Water Quality has confirmed that this is their position. The next reason is really more of an explanation of the first reason in that graywater does carry a significant pathogen load. For example, a recent article in the Journal of Environmental Health (June, 2002) cited two studies, Brandes (1978) and Gerba, et al. (1995),that documented graywater as containing considerable amounts of both total colifonns and fecal coliforms. The pathogens can also multiply greatly if the graywater is stored for even a short time. There are many other undesirable characteristics associated with graywater,but the pathogen load was the most notable. When you couple the amounts of fecal coliform available in graywater with the fact that the infective dose of some e, colt strains may be as few as 10 organisms'(Institute of Food Science and Technology (UK),(1996), it raises concern about the use of graywater in an unrestricted manner. Drought Planning and Education Efforts The Health Department posted an advisory for well users in late July intended as a public service announcement, after the declaration of Stage III restrictions by the county. (attached). This was an effort to provide information and services to those water users in the rural, area of the county that would likely be affected by a drought situation later in ile season if drought conditions persist Instead of being picked up as a public service announcement, several print media developed the information into print articles. number of county departments are beginning to meet together to develop a response plan for an extended drought period that will include both rural users of individual wells as well as those served by public water supplies. These departments include Emergency Management, Cooperative Extension, County Engineer, and the Health Department. This will also be a topic at the water users meeting scheduled for next week. Issues such as potable water distribution; monitoring groundwater;public education on conservation methods; restaurant conservation methods education; and other topics are being'discussed. Plans will be coordinated with public water suppliers as they move through the steps needed for additional restrictions and contingencies. We will keep you apprised of these efforts. 11 Oran'a Corn Coo•erative Extension Drought-related Efforts • Articles and one program so far on la.ndscape management under drought conditions. • Information on home landscape drought management at Carrboro and Hillsborough Farmers Markets. ▪ Dairy and Livestock newsletters dealing specifically with nutritional issues, forage and feed supply issues related to the drought and drought recovery. * Web page link to drought related information and mosquito borne illnesses. • Planning dairy and livestock meetings on feeding with by-product and commodity feeds and on forage options for the fall and winter. • Individual consultations with agricultural producers on issues related to drought. 916 /13I, : 1 i:di ' b 4 4 LIM HALL PAGE ,.......0.0,!.....t.b.ftime__ 10.,, ri ''''''r,, i icA, 4 Town --------77N-- of I I 1 , 1 9 .:-,,7-"RI.-:-.7:, 1-. s 6 :- ') ' '-.'" !) :ii, g . . Uncle p �u n-„-F,,.:;:.n',; ..':::':,::,-',,:. „ ,„ „,, „ n . . . ._ .. , . „. , r TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH-STAFF INTERESTS -- Regardiflg Orange County Area irought August 14, 2002 Back"' pun pund on the West Fork no Reservoir: The Town's reservoir was designed and permitted a supplemental water source for the of Hillsborough water system (Le., to provide for the Town's water eeds over and a' •ve the allocation Hillsborough is ,. r i'fled via the Capacity Use Agreement. Hillsborough voters apprcived a bond referendum 1993 to finance the constmction of`the West Fork Reservoir. Subsequently, customers on the Town's system (both. in-town and out-of-town) have been paw 5723,200 in annual debt service payments, in addition to funding in excess of $500,000 in cash for the project The annual debt service payments alone for i I's raj ect make.up approximately 25% of the annual water-.related expenditures the FY03 F '03 Budget and approximately 15% of the entire Water & Sewer Fund Budget As a result, Hillsborough comers (especially those who are out-o -tow customers are paying some of the highest water rates i,n the smote. The purpose of constructing the West Fork Reservoir was to 1) ii 1sboto . 's dependency on its neighbors e.g., Durham and 'A'''AA to provide water to meet peak demands, r i!uce the frequency and severity of water restrictions due to low flow conditions the Eno, and allow the Town to accommodate reasonable amounts of growth in the future so .. as to strengthen Hillsborough's h's low economy and diversify its tax base. in addition, fewer customers are necessary to provide some "aconomits of Vie" so to help.share the financial burden a M, the many fixed costs associated with operating a water system. While not req d and not requested repested to do so, the Town started releasing additional water from the West Fork Reservoir during Stage 4 so as to help slow the , Lake age and to delay entry into more severe restriction stages i.e., Stage 5 and likely Stage 6). While the Town. was is using about 1.0 — 1.1 D; it started releasing 1.0 MOD in addition to the minimal required in-stream flow, increased the release to 1.5 MOD for a period, and is now releasing 1.1 MGD or the equivalent of the Town's average daily usage. Hillsborough has either been releasing an amount equal to (or in excess) of the water it has been using for about three (3) weeks. So, Hillsborough has essentially not used any water from Lake Orange in three weeks, even though it's pitted up to a 1.1 MGD withdrawl during Stage 5. The Town did not make the additional,releases with the intention of requesling any financial compensation from the other . entities that are receiving any indirect/direct beneSt from this action. The additional releases from Hillsborough have delayed what appears to be a likely entry into Stage 6, by,h l ` to slow the water level drop in Lake Orange. While there are benefits for Hill b rou:' this has also benefited the Piedmont Minerals and Orange-Alamance systems by delaying the miry into Stage 5 where they had to reduce their t i wls from the Eno. Delaying the entry into Stage 101 East Orange 'tre t • RO. Box 429 • Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 919432-1270 • Fax 919-6444390 .x di i 11: '31 L 1 J b+ 4 2' '11 LIWN HALL PAGE 0' 3 rn T t allows Piedmont Mine s to stay open and operating, sincp they must shut down in Stage 6. Orange-Alamance must decrease their Eno withdraw! by approximately an additional 300,000 GPD if Stage 6 occurs. It is not Hillsborough's intention to request compesisation for the aforementioned releases at this time, this was an effort made b y the Mayor and Board of Co htii7ssioner to be a good neighbor. Though, due to the exteme cost of the reservoir it is clear that the Hillsborough water customers cannot continue to pay (through very high rates) for a reservoir that is providing substantial • benefits to the Piedmont Minerals and OrangeAlamance systems without gel fair compensation at some point in the future. Otherwise, I illsborou,gh will deplete its reservoir t an accelerated rate to supplement the needs of Orange-Alamanee and Piedmont t de s. In addition, the cost for supplementing# these two other systems l have been aid for by " Hillsborough customer who are heady paying very high rates. SHORT-TERM CREST • Continue co rrd on/pa c with Orange County reganling releases' at the two reservoirs so as to preserve the water storage in the most reasonable and fair e possible during tills crisis. • Continue coordination with Orange County when Hillsborough finds pit needs to decrease the supplement that it's current releases from the West Fork has essentially not been using any of the allocation in which it is entitled to over the three weeks,- adjustments will likely have to occur sometime in the future). • Jointly develop and implement a Fining" system to address the requirements established in Stage 6. • Meet with Piedmont Minerals, Or ge-A1amance, Orange County, and Hillsborough to discuss/plan voile we would all respond if Lake ,, a goes dry(i.e., a worst.case scenario). h M!DJ:tiis1.RANGE INTERESTS: • Updating the Capacity Use Agreement to better amount for the change/impact of the West Fork Reservoir on Lake Orange and its users. • Consider exam in in (and g coordinating where reasonable) specific provisions of each stage of restrntons. • If additional releases are going to be required of the West Fork Reservoir to supplement the withdraw' capabilities of ►range_ ►l mane and Piedmont Iviinensis, then some fair method d, of rebu ,mg the Hillsborough system ust be agree upon.