HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-21-2023; 4-b - OWASA Annual Update Presentation 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: February 21, 2023
Action Agenda
Item No. 4-b
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.
OWASA Board Chair Bruce Boehm and Jody Eimers and Ray DuBose, Orange County
appointees to the OWASA Board, will present the annual update.
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-far-profit public service agency
delivering high quality water,wastewater,and reclaimed water services.
January 26, 2023
Mayor Pam Hemminger Mayor Damon Seils Chair Jamezetta Bedford
Town of Chapel Hill Town of Carrboro Orange County Board of
405 Martin Luther King Jr. 301 West Main Street Commissioners
Blvd Chapel Hill,NC 27514 Carrboro,NC 27510 Post Office Box 8181
Hillsborough,NC 27278
Dear Mayor Hemminger, Mayor Seils, and Chair Bedford:
We are pleased to submit this report on our services,projects, and initiatives since October 2022.
This report includes information on the following items:
1. PFAS Monitoring
2. Lead and Copper Rule
3. Annual Water Treatment Change
4. Affordability Program
5. Diversity and Inclusion
6. OWASA Board Updates
7. Cane Creek Reservoir Solar Array
8. Western Intake Partnership
9. AVID Tours
10. Key Infrastructure Investments
PFAS Monitoring:
OWASA is continuing to make progress on the expansion of our ongoing PFAS Monitoring
Program after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced updated health advisory
levels on June 15, 2022, for four compounds in drinking water that are part of a group of
compounds called PFAS. The Health Advisory Levels are not regulatory but are the lowest level
a health effect can be measured over a lifetime of exposure,particularly among the most
vulnerable members of our community.
We expect the EPA to announce new regulations on PFAS in drinking water soon; the initial
schedule was for these to be released before the end of calendar year 2022. These regulations
will be what OWASA, and other water providers, will be required to meet moving forward.
We have expanded our ongoing PFAS monitoring to include University Lake (which was
involved in the initial testing several years ago but showed lower levels than Cane Creek
400 Jones Ferry Road,Carrboro,NC 27510 0 919-958-4421 ® info@owasa.org V @oWASA_NC 0 www.owasa.org
OWASA Quarterly Report 3
January 26, 2023
Page 2
Reservoir), feeder creeks flowing into Cane Creek Reservoir, and the biosolids produced at the
Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant.
We have engaged a consultant to assist our work in this area. We are also evaluating our
treatment process and modifications that can be made in the short and long term to reduce PFAS
levels in our finished drinking water.
We continue to post regular PFAS monitoring results to our website and are evaluating how to
incorporate these new test sites as well as the coming regulations into that results dashboard.
The OWASA Board of Directors received an update on PFAS at a meeting on November 10,
2022. You can see the agenda for that meeting here and the meeting video here.
Lead and Couper Rule:
OWASA's Team and consultant are continuing work toward meeting regulations of the revised
Lead and Copper Rule. The compliance date for the new rule is October 2024. OWASA has
always been in full compliance with the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule. Results from our most-
recent lead and copper regulatory sampling are available in our Annual Water Quality Report
Card covering the 2021 calendar year. The report card is available in English and Spanish on our
website.
OWASA has completed an initial lead service line inventory, but we are working to add onto the
information that we currently have available from historical records and internal data. We will be
publicizing information about this inventory with our community as these efforts progress.
We continue offering free lead and copper testing to customers and are trying to leverage these
requests to receive verifiable information from customers on the material that makes up their
service line (which connects their home plumbing to the OWASA meter).
OWASA will continue working with regional utility partners to collaborate on efficient and
effective methods so that we all can work in the best interest of our customers. OWASA will be
in contact with customers as further updates are available.
Members of the OWASA Team also continue working with officials at UNC—Chapel Hill as the
university is investigating the cause of some lead detections at different fountains and fixtures on
campus. OWASA is assisting with technical information and guidance to UNC, as well as
publishing information on our website for the community in general as we have no indication
there is a threat of lead being present in drinking water across the community.
Annual Water Treatment Change:
In support of our commitment to provide high-quality drinking water, OWASA will temporarily
alter its drinking water treatment process beginning at 12 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and
continuing through the month of March. Water will remain safe to drink during this time, but
customers might notice a change in taste or odor of drinking water.
OWASA Quarterly Report 4
January 26, 2023
Page 3
OWASA uses a combination of chlorine and ammonia, known as chloramines,to disinfect
drinking water throughout the majority of the year. Each March, however, we only use chlorine
for the disinfection process. This change is only for the month of March and has no impact on
the safety of the drinking water.
The change in treatment process is recommended by the North Carolina Department of
Environmental Quality and is standard practice among water providers, including neighboring
utilities.
We will be sharing this information widely with customers ahead of the change.
Affordability Program:
Affordability and service equity is a key focus area for OWASA. In our Strategic Plan approved
by the OWASA Board of Directors in the fall of 2022, we identified increasing the adequacy and
accessibility of our customer assistance funding through the Care to Share program.
We have submitted two funding applications to the state's Division of Water Infrastructure to
identify, extend, and connect water and sewer services to low-income households within our
service area. This effort was also made a priority in our recently adopted Strategic Plan.
Last summer, the OWASA Board voted to eliminate the $45 account delinquency fee that was
previously charged to customers when their service was disconnected for non-payment.
Town Councils in Carrboro and Chapel Hill have voted to dedicate a portion of ARPA funding
to cover past-due debts of municipal residents on their OWASA bills that were accrued while the
Orange County State of Emergency was in place for the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful
for this funding.
The OWASA Board is scheduled to receive an update of our Affordability Program in February.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Promoting diversity and inclusion is a top priority for OWASA, which has had an active
Diversity and Inclusion Program since 2016. Diversity and Inclusion was also identified as an
OWASA value in the Strategic Plan adopted in the fall of 2022.
We anticipate recruitment to begin in early 2023 for a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist. This
will be the first position at OWASA focused solely on Diversity and Inclusion.
Internal diversity working groups are continuing their evaluation of OWASA's Diversity and
Inclusion Program and how to continue to grow these efforts in the future.
OWASA Quarterly Report 5
January 26, 2023
Page 4
OWASA Board Updates:
The OWASA Board of Directors is currently one member short of a full Board after Chapel Hill-
appointee David Gorelick resigned at the end of 2022. Dr. Gorelick recently accepted a Policy
Fellowship with the United States State Department and has moved from the area.
In addition to the now-vacant seat, upcoming appointments this spring will be requested by
Orange County and Chapel Hill. A letter was sent in January to the local governments with
information to assist with recruiting and selecting members to the OWASA Board.
We appreciate your interest and action in appointing Board members as we continue critical
work in the months ahead. OWASA embraces diversity and inclusion in everything we do, and
we would like to encourage all interested candidates to apply for Board appointments. The only
true qualification needed is a genuine commitment to serve the community.
Cane Creek Reservoir Solar Array:
We are excited to announce that our fourth and largest solar array is officially online and
producing clean energy.
This solar array was installed thanks in part to funding from the Orange County Community
Climate Action Grant Program. We are very grateful for that support.
The latest solar array was installed at Cane Creek Reservoir and will offset over a quarter of the
electricity used to pump source water to the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant to be
treated and distributed to the community.
An event was held on January 24 celebrating the installation of the latest solar array in
conjunction with public and private partners. At this event, we were also pleased to announce
that we have met the energy management goal previously set by the OWASA Board of Directors
to reduce our purchased electricity by a total of 35% from the 2010 baseline by the end of
calendar year 2022.
Western Intake Partnership:
OWASA and local utilities making up the Western Intake Partnership (WIP), which consists of
the City of Durham, the Town of Pittsboro, and Chatham County, hosted an Open House in
Chatham County on January 10 to provide an opportunity for the public to learn more and ask
questions about the proposed intake and water treatment facility expected to be located on the
western side of Jordan Lake.
Roughly 50 people attended the open house and expressed an interest in the regional utilities
continuing their collaborative work on this issue.
This partnership is in the early stages, and OWASA will continue providing updates to the
community as it progresses.
OWASA Quarterly Report 6
January 26, 2023
Page 5
OWASA's involvement with the WIP to this point includes investing in planning, permitting,
and design projects to access water from Jordan Lake. As part of this limited partnership, the
Jordan Lake water treatment facility and other project components may be built on OWASA-
owned property in Chatham County.
AVID Tours:
OWASA was grateful to be able to host a series of tours late last fall for seventh-grade students
across Chapel Hill—Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS)who are part of the AVID program. AVID
is a nationwide program standing for Advancement Via Individual Determination and supports
students by preparing them for continuing their education after high school. Many of these
students are potentially first-generation college students or have been under-represented in
collegiate prep courses in the past.
As part of this program, these students were able to tour the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment
Plant and hear from all facets of OWASA's operations. There was also a career panel with each
session to show the potential areas they could focus on and find a productive career they are
passionate about.
CHCCS communications personnel followed along for one of the tours and wrote an article for
the district 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.
OWASA's contractor is nearing completion of 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 is replacing water lines
roughly from Pittsboro Street to Merritt Mill Road. The OWASA Team has been coordinating
with partners at the Town of Chapel Hill and UNC throughout this project and will continue to
do so. New water line installation has been completed and contractors are finishing tie ins to
connect customers to the newly installed line. Repaving and restoration work will take place
before the project is completed, which is expected by spring 2023.
A maintenance project will soon begin on the Reclaimed Water System that serves UNC—
Chapel Hill and St. Thomas More in Chapel Hill. This project has been coordinated to take place
while demand for reclaimed water is lower than other times of the year. The project is expected
to be completed by May 2023.
Throughout the service area, OWASA construction crews are making progress on several
smaller water line replacement projects in neighborhoods and OWASA contractors are working
on rehabilitating sewers.
OWASA Quarterly Report 7
January 26, 2023
Page 6
You can track the status of OWASA's capital projects through a dynamic map 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
(ttaylorkowasa.org or 919-537-4216), or me.
Sincerely,
TAW--�
Bruce Boellm, Chair
OWASA:Board of Directors
cc: Mr. Richard White, III, Carrboro Town Manager
Ms. Bonnie Hammersley, Orange County Manager
Mr. Chris Blue, Interim Chapel Hill Town Manager
OWASA Board of Directors
Todd Taylor, OWASA Executive Director