HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 02-17-22; 4-a - OWASA Annual Update Presentation 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: February 17, 2022
Action Agenda
Item No. 4-a
SUBJECT: OWASA Annual Update Presentation
DEPARTMENT: Board of County Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
OWASA Quarterly Report Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board, 919-
245-2130
Andrea Orbich, Orange Water and
Sewer Authority, 919-537-4217
PURPOSE: To receive a presentation and information from the Orange Water and Sewer
Authority (OWASA) on recent activities.
BACKGROUND: At the beginning of each calendar year, OWASA representatives appear
before the Board of Commissioners to make a presentation on recent OWASA activities. An
update on OWASA's Long-Range Water Supply Plan will also be provided.
OWASA Board Chair Jody Eimers and Board Member/Immediate Past Chair Ray DuBose, both
Orange County appointees to the OWASA Board, will present the annual update. OWASA
Planning and Development Manager Ruth Rouse will provide an update to OWASA's Long
Range Water Supply Plan (LRWSP).
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this item.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated
with this item.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal
impact associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the presentation
and information and provide any feedback as necessary.
2
Orange Water and Sewer Authority
OWASA OWASA is Carrboro-Chapel Hill's not-for-profit public service agency
delivering high quality water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services.
January 26, 2022
Mayor Pam Hemminger Mayor Damon Seils Chair Renee Price
Town of Chapel Hill Town of Carrboro Orange County Board of
405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd 301 West Main Street County Commissioners
Chapel Hill,NC 27514 Carrboro,NC 27510 Post Office Box 8181
Hillsborough,NC 27278
Dear Mayor Hemminger, Mayor Seils, and Chair Price:
We are pleased to submit this report on our services,projects, and initiatives since October 2021.
This report includes information on the following items:
1. Standard Collection Practices
2. Bill Assistance
3. COVID-19 Update
4. Diversity and Inclusion
5. OWASA Board Membership
6. Strategic Plan
7. Lead and Copper Rule
8. Long-Range Water Supply Plan
9. Care to Share Day
10. Wastewater Treatment Plant Partnership Award
11. Key Infrastructure Investments
Standard Collection Practices:
Orange County's local State of Emergency related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been
extended indefinitely. Using the local State of Emergency as guidance, OWASA has deferred
resuming standard bill collection practices for residential customers. Currently, OWASA has
about 669 individually metered residential customers who are past due on their bill. The average
amount past due for these customers is about $455.
Once the Orange County State of Emergency has ended, OWASA will provide at least a 30-day
notice to customers with past-due balances before resuming standard collection practices. Under
standard collection practices, customers who miss two consecutive payments of their monthly
bill are subject to service disconnection. Once we resume standard collection practices, OWASA
will actively promote fee-free payment plans of up to 18 months to customers who are past due.
We are grateful to our partners across the county for the continued work on providing available
assistance to customers.
Additional information on bill-assistance funding for customers with past-due bills is available in
the next section.
0 400 Jones Ferry Road,Carrboro,NC 27510 Q 919-968-4421 15 info@owasa.org V @0WASA1 Q www.owasa.org
OWASA Quarterly Report 3
January 26, 2022
Page 2
Bill Assistance:
A new temporary program called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program
(LIHWAP) announced by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC
DHHS) will provide funding assistance to eligible OWASA customers with overdue water bills.
Until funds are exhausted, LIHWAP funds can be used to pay off 100% of an eligible customer's
overdue water bill.
OWASA has been in direct contact with customers with overdue bills to alert them to this
program. We have also worked with Orange County Department of Social Services to efficiently
distribute these funds and communicate with customers as their account balances are paid.
OWASA is grateful to local partners for helping spread the word about this program.
Households can apply for funding through September 30, 2023, or until funds are exhausted.
This is a temporary program supported by federal COVID relief funding.
More information is available from the North Carolina DHHS and on the OWASA website.
OWASA is also grateful for the additional temporary funding that helped support OWASA
customers during this challenging time. Although the NC HOPE Program is no longer available
to provide water bill assistance, in 2021, the NC HOPE Program provided a total of over$27,000
of water bill payment assistance to 169 OWASA customers. In addition, the Orange County
Emergency Housing Fund provided over $30,000 of water bill assistance to 51 OWASA
customers.
COVID-19 Update:
OWASA is continuing to monitor recent developments with the COVID-19 pandemic as cases
have increased due to the omicron variant.
OWASA's vaccination rate among employees is at 85% as of January 3, and we continue to
encourage those who have not done so to begin the vaccination process and to stay up to date
with booster shot eligibility and availability. Employees who have not provided proof of
vaccination to Human Resources have been required to submit weekly COVID-19 tests to be
authorized to report to work since September 1, 2021.
We've also been partnering with UNC and state health officials to monitor our wastewater for
COVID-19 trends in the community. That helps all of us stay informed by showing the very
early signs of any possible changes in prevalence of the virus in our area.
OWASA's Incident Management Team continues to meet and discuss action items needed to
help protect employees while also being able to continue delivering essential services to
customers across the community.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Promoting diversity and inclusion is a top priority for OWASA, which has had an active
Diversity and Inclusion program since 2016.
OWASA Quarterly Report 4
January 26, 2022
Page 3
OWASA's Team is continuing our diversity and inclusion work and provided the Board of
Directors with an update at its meeting on January 13, 2022. These updates are provided to the
Board three times each calendar year. The update in September 2021 served as the
comprehensive annual report, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Report.
Our diversity and inclusion efforts go beyond OWASA staff trainings and policies by extending
into growing partnerships within our community and expanding the minority- and women-owned
businesses that are bidding for and being awarded our projects.
More information on recent Diversity and Inclusion efforts can be found in the agenda material
for the January 2022 Board update.
OWASA Board Membership:
The OWASA Board of Directors is a governing body. Among the Board's responsibilities are
setting policy, approving the annual budget, approving large contracts for maintenance and
capital improvements, and selecting the Executive Director. Each Board member receives small
remuneration to cover expenses associated with serving on the Board.
We continue to encourage interest in serving on the Board in our community engagement efforts
and appreciate your assistance in attracting a diverse applicant pool. OWASA is using our
website and social media channels to provide information on what is involved with Board
membership and to recruit new applicants. The Board also discussed possible steps to encourage
interest in service as a Board member during a meeting on January 13, 2022.
OWASA embraces diversity and inclusion in everything we do, and we encourage all interested
candidates to apply for Board Member appointments. The only qualification needed is interests
in OWASA's services and activities a genuine commitment to serve the community.
There remain two openings on the OWASA Board of Directors: one Carrboro seat, and one
Chapel Hill seat. As is typical, the OWASA Board is facing many important decisions in the
coming year, including approving next year's budget, updating the Long-Range Water Supply
Plan, and developing a new strategic plan that will guide our investments and priorities for the
next 5-6 years. Having a full Board is critical to being able to keep the important work of the
community's water and wastewater utility moving forward and preparing for the future.
Thank you for your continued support in appointing members to OWASA's Board of Directors.
If we can assist you, please let us know.
Strategic Plan:
OWASA is developing a new strategic plan to help guide OWASA investments and priorities for
OWASA Board and staff over the next 5-6 years.
Since the October 2021 update, the OWASA Board of Directors has held two work sessions with
a third scheduled for late January. These work sessions included discussing input received from
the community, professional stakeholders, and the OWASA Board and staff, as well as
OWASA Quarterly Report 5
January 26, 2022
Page 4
OWASA's mission, vision, and values to help guide the next steps developing a new strategic
plan.
OWASA staff will continue to provide updates to stakeholders and the community throughout
the strategic planning process.
Lead and Copper Rule:
A revised Lead and Copper Rule from the Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward,
including new guidelines to reduce lead in drinking water.
OWASA has selected a consultant to assist in developing a lead service line inventory for our
community and a strategy for removing any identified lead service lines. Where possible,
OWASA will look to leverage federal and state funding from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act to
assist in addressing any identified issues.
For over 20 years, samples of water leaving OWASA's Water Treatment Plant have tested below
the detectable level for lead of 3 parts per billion(ppb). One update in the new Lead and Copper
Rule is a lower detection limit, which means samples must be analyzed using a method that can
measure lower levels of lead than before. In anticipation of this change, OWASA began testing
our latest round of regulatory sampling carried out from June to September 2020 at the new
threshold; all of those samples have been below this updated detection level of 1 ppb.
OWASA will continue to work with stakeholders throughout the implementation of this new
rule. More information is available on the OWASA website.
Long-Range Water Supply Plan:
OWASA is continuing the process of updating the community's Long-Range Water Supply
Plan.
The OWASA Board of Directors is moving forward with Jordan Lake options as the alternative
to augment existing supplies, including the expansion of the Quarry Reservoir. The Board will
continue these discussions to update the community's Long-Range Water Supply Plan.
Before making any final decisions on OWASA's Long-Range Water Supply Plan, OWASA will
once again reach out to the community. We will work collaboratively with our community
partners to ensure that our customers have high-quality, sustainable water resources for
generations to come.
Care to Share Day:
OWASA's third-annual Care to Share Day was held on November 18, 2021. The annual event is
focused on raising awareness of and funds for the Care to Share bill-assistance program, which is
administered in partnership with the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service.
This year's event included a news post on OWASA's website, messages on social media, and
OWASA's Wonderful Water segment on WCHL. Partner agencies—including area local
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January 26, 2022
Page 5
governments—were very helpful in amplifying the message and sharing the impact these dollars
can have on the community. The effort resulted in over 30 new on-bill donors to the program,
which will increase annual donations by over$3,000 and help an additional 15 households.
OWASA is grateful for the continued collaboration with our local government partners in
assisting our community through this work.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Partnership Award:
The Partnership for Clean Water(PCW) recently awarded OWASA's Mason Farm Wastewater
Treatment Plant(WWTP)the Partnership for Clean Water's Directors Award. This honor places
the treatment plant among a top group of wastewater utilities in committing to protecting public
health, the environment, and ratepayer funds by optimizing wastewater system operations.
The PCW is a voluntary program that recognizes treatment plants for working toward
operational excellence and doing so in an energy-efficient manner.
To achieve this honor, OWASA submitted a thorough self-assessment of the entire WWTP
operations and performance that was reviewed by utility peers through the Partnership. The
assessment identified nearly 100 action items to improve overall operational performance. Eight
of these items have already been completed with more than 40 others underway prior to being
notified of the Directors Award. The self-assessment process took more than a year to complete
and involved Team members from across the OWASA organization.
OWASA will be recognized for this achievement at the national American Water Works
Association conference in 2022. More information is available on the OWASA website.
Key Infrastructure Investments:
Several large projects investing in the community's water and wastewater infrastructure are
either recently completed, underway, or soon to begin, in particular at the Jones Ferry Road
Water Treatment Plant(WTP).
About$4 million in work at the WTP to improve chemical facilities and our finished water
pumping system has been recently completed, while a $2.6 million project is underway to make
improvements to water lines on the WTP site and in Jones Ferry Road. These water line
improvements will add redundancy and increase resiliency to support the community's water
infrastructure and maintain a high level of service for our customers. Design work and the State
Revolving Fund application process are underway for electrical system improvements at the
WTP; construction on this project is likely to begin in the summer of 2022.
OWASA's contractor will soon begin work on the second phase of the West Cameron Avenue
water line replacement project. The initial phase of the project was completed in August 2020 in
the intersection of West Cameron Avenue and Columbia Street. Phase 2 will take place roughly
from Pittsboro Street to Merritt Mill Road.
A project repairing and replacing sewer lines in downtown Carrboro along East Main Street is
also set to begin construction in February 2022. OWASA has been working closely with the
OWASA Quarterly Report 7
January 26, 2022
Page 6
businesses and residents along this corridor in advance of construction. The project is expected
to be complete ahead of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's project resurfacing
Franklin Street and Main Street.
OWASA construction crews are also making progress on several smaller water line replacement
projects in neighborhoods across the service area.
You can track the status of OWASA's capital projects through a dynamic snap on the OWASA
website.
We would be happy to provide more detailed information on the items above or other topics of
interest as desired. Please feel free to contact our Executive Director, Todd Taylor
(ttaylor ,owasa.org or 919-537-4216), or me.
Sincerely,
Jo Leslie Eimers, Chair
Board of Directors
c: Mr. Richard White III, Carrboro Town Manager
Ms. Bonnie Hammersley, Orange County Manager
Mr. Maurice Jones, Chapel Hill Town Manager
OWASA Board of Directors
Todd Taylor, OWASA Executive Director