"NEWS RELEASE November 5, 2009
OWASA invites all customers to participate in a Community Meeting on Wednesday night, November 11th regarding the draft Update of our Long-Range Water Supply Plan.
The meeting will begin at 7 PM; will be held in the Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; and will be televised on local cable channel 18.
OWASA staff drafted the update in light of the severe droughts in 2001-02 and 2007-08 and significant reductions in water demand in recent years. Key items in the draft update include:
· OWASA’S existing Cane Creek/University Lake/Quarry Reservoir system can meet the community’s needs substantially further into the future than previously thought.
· Expansion of the Quarry Reservoir west of Carrboro continues to offer the most cost-effective increment of additional supply and will provide full control of a substantial amount of high quality water with minimal capital investment. An expanded Quarry Reservoir is expected to meet most anticipated water supply needs for the 50-year planning period.
· OWASA should develop agreements with neighboring utilities to secure the permanent ability to purchase or sell water under appropriate conditions of supply and demand. Except for the expanded Quarry Reservoir, temporary purchases offer the most cost-effective option evaluated, especially for the infrequent times and limited amounts of water that may be needed in the next 25 years or more. Purchase agreements also provide mutual support when critical facilities are out of service due to maintenance, equipment failure, severe weather, etc.
· All customer groups have significantly reduced their water consumption in recent years. OWASA also began operating a new reclaimed wastewater system serving the University, promoted conservation with seasonal and increasing block water rates and public information, and implemented “process” water recycling at the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant.
· Investing in an expansion of OWASA’s reclaimed water system or establishing financial incentive programs, such as plumbing fixture rebates, to promote additional conservation is substantially less cost-effective than other options evaluated.
“The Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update presents a positive future for the community we serve. Through aggressive, conservation-focused actions, future generations will be able to enjoy a reliable supply of high quality drinking water with far less capital investment than predicted nine years ago,” said Ed Holland, OWASA’s Planning Director.
The Draft Water Supply Plan Update and a summary of it are available on OWASA’s website, http://www.owasa.org/, and paper copies will be provided on request.
For more information:
Ed Holland, Planning Director, 537-4215; e-mail: eholland@owasa.org
400 JONES FERRY ROAD, CARRBORO, NC 27510
PHONE: (919) 968-4421; FAX: (919) 968-4464
WEB SITE: http://www.owasa.org;/ E-MAIL: WEBMASTER@OWASA.ORG"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment