HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-16-2003-6aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 16, 2003
Action Agen a
Item No. ~q
SUBJECT: OWASA Update on Various Water/Wastewater Issues and Initiatives
DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
6/27/2003 OWASA Letter to Chair & Ed Kerwin, Exec. Director, OWASA
Mayors 919-968-4421
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To allow Orange Water & Sewer Authority (OWASA) officials and staff to provide
the BOCC with more detailed information and an update of issues (new conservation
ordinances, wastewater reclamation and reuse, demand management, water supply and
demand projections) that were brought to the Boards attention in the OWASA's June 27, 2003
letter (attached) to the Chair and the Mayors of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
BACKGROUND: For several years, OWASA has been working to develop, investigate and test
strategies that would essentially expand its current water supply capacity by the use of
management tools and engineering solutions other than reservoir construction. These
strategies include: 1) reclaiming and reusing highly treated wastewater in lieu of potable water
in applications such as irrigation and cooling water where potable water is not required: 2) using
OWASA funds to help defray the costs to individual customers in replacing older high flow
toilets with ultra low flush toilets; 3) providing technical assistance in water conservation to high
volume water users; 4) developing water saving landscape designs; 5) developing
drought/water conservation requirements; and 6) updating water supply and demand
projections. These elements of OWASA's plans and policies were outlined for the BOCC in
OWASA's letter of June 27, 2003 to the Chair. OWASA is making a presentation to the BOCC
to more fully describe the plans, policies, etc.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the presentation
as information.
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OWASA
June 27, 2003
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ORANGE WATER & SEWER ALITHORIT~~ ~ ~ ~' ~ ~~ e ~ ~ ~~~
CLuality Servir_e Since 1 ~~~ s, ~..
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Chair Margaret Brown
Orange County Board of
Commissioners
Post Office Box 8181
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Mayor Michael Nelson
Town of Carrboro
310 West Main Street
Can-boro, NC 27510
Dear Chair Brown, Mayor Nelson, and Mayor Foy:
Mayor Kevin Foy
Town of Chapel Hill
306 North Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
I am sending this letter to bring you up-to-date on some important and exciting activities that are
happening at OWASA. As mentioned before, there are many components to our water conservation
and demand program, and I want to review some of those here.
New Conservation Ordinances
I want to offer our sincere thanks for your recent adoption of the new water conservation ordinances.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County adopted essentially identical versions of the conservation
standards that the OWASA Board submitted to you several months ago. We believe that the new
ordinances are an important part of the sustainability strategy for our community.
Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse
Wastewater reclamation and reuse has been the focus of a recently completed feasibility study jointly
funded by OWASA and the University. Based on our preliminary work, it appears feasible to use
substantial amounts of highly treated effluent (reclaimed water) from our Mason Farm Wastewater
Plant in the University's cooling towers, Cogeneration Plant boiler, and campus irrigation. As you
know, the University represents about 30 percent of OWASA's total water demand -and in the
summertime, nearly half of this is for cooling purposes. If implemented, this ambitious program
could initially save an average of more than 1.5 million gallons per day of drinking water -and much
more during the summertime when our lakes and Treatment Plant are the most challenged. OWASA
and the University are currently conducting more detailed piloting work to fut~lher refine the expected
costs and benefits of such a program. Initial estimates of the capital costs of such a system are about
$13 million, but the long-term savings in both resource value and increased drought protection may
be worth even more.
We have been actively participating in the University's Carolina North planning efforts, and have
proposed that water reclamation and reuse be fully considered as a long-term strategy for meeting the
water and sewer service needs of Carolina North as well as the surrounding designated urban
transition areas.
We look forward to providing additional information about these exciting projects, and will likely
ask for your help in seeking State or Federal funding for these efforts. We may also request your
consideration of potential ordinances that would require or encourage new development to extend
and connect to the reclaimed water system, where feasible.
400 ]ones Ferry Road Equal Opportunity Employer Voice (919) 968-4421
PO Box 366 Printed on Recycled Paper FAX (919) 968-4464
Carrboro, NC 27510-0366 www. owosa. org
Chair Margaret Brown, Mayor Michael Nelson, and Mayor Kevin Foy
June 27, 2003
Page 2
3
Demand Management Possibilities
We are continuing to examine the costs and benefits of a number of demand management
(conservation) alternatives that may extend our available water supply and reduce our vulnerability to
severe droughts. Some of these measures could be instituted through OWASA, such as a rebate
program for replacing older high-consumption toilets with new (and effective) ultra-low flow toilets;
or a voluntary water audit program that provides expert technical assistance to high volume water
customers who want to reduce their water use. We are also reviewing other demand management
measures that might be implemented through the Towns and County, such as water-saving landscape
guidelines for new development or time-of--sale ordinances that require the replacement of old
plumbing fixtures with new water-saving fixtures whenever an existing property is resold or
renovated. We will complete a staff report on the costs, benefits, and implementability of these and
other measures within the next few months and we will keep you advised as to how you may be able
to support us.
Revised Water Supply and Demand Projections
We are currently reviewing and revising the estimated safe yield of our Cane Creek/University
Lake/Stone Quarry reservoir system in both its current and future (expanded) configurations. We are
applying a more sophisticated analytical method than was used for our Comprehensive Water and
Sewer Master Plan project several years ago and are also incorporating streamflow from the record-
setting drought of 2001-2002.
We are also revising long-term water demand projections to reflect information from the University's
2008 Development Plan, Central Campus Master Plan, and preliminary Carolina North water use
estimates -all of which were developed after OWASA's Master Plan was completed in 2000.
Preliminary indications are that long-term demands will be somewhat higher than the "expected"
curve, but less than the "high" growth curve of our Master Plan. We will share the revised water
supply and demand projections with you once we complete our review later this year.
Thanks again for adopting the new conservation ordinance and for your continuing commitment to
and leadership on sustainable water resource management. We look forward to keeping you up-to-
date on these important initiatives in the months ahead. Please let Ed Kerwin, Executive Director, or
me know if you need additional information or assistance.
Sincerely,
~ ~.~->.~.~ti
Bernadette Pelissier, Chair
OWASA Board of Directors
c: Mr. Michael Brough, Interim Carrboro Town Manager
Mr. W. Calvin Horton, Chapel Hill Town Manager
Mr. John Link, Orange County Manager
Ms. Nancy Suttenfield, Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration
Ms. Carolyn Elfland, Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Services
Mr. Ray DuBose, Director, Energy Services Department
OWASA Board of Directors
Ed Kerwin, Executive Director