SECTION 1 Introduction

Transcription

1 SECTION 1 Introduction The Towns of Apex and Cary have a long history of developing well- thoughtout plans to effectively manage their water resources and ensure a safe and reliable water supply for the communities they serve. They are continuing that tradition in the development of this Long Range Water Resources Plan (LRWRP), which takes a strategic view through 2060 to prepare the Towns and Wake County to meet their future water resources challenges. Water is vital to the survival of everything on earth. Less than 1 percent of the water on the planet is fresh and available for human use; the rest is saltwater, frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage. While growing populations exert increasing demands for freshwater resources, the supply remains constant. Although the water cycle continuously returns water to the earth, it is not always returned to the same place or in the same quantity and quality. The management of water resources in the Triangle region of North Carolina is particularly complex due to factors that include growth and development patterns, regional partnerships, and droughts, amid regional river basin water transfer regulations, stringent environmental and water quality requirements, and a reservoir water supply controlled by the state and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Triangle region, which includes the Towns of Apex, Cary, and Morrisville and the Research Triangle Park, has historically experienced strong, sustained growth due to the area s thriving business climate, technology environment and recognition as one of the New Silicon Valleys, major universities, and attractive quality of life. Nationally, the Triangle region is cited as one of the hottest spots for technology and one of the best poised for recovery from the economic recession that began in Strategic water resources planning for the future of this vibrant region is essential. This LRWRP takes the long view through 2060 to prepare the Towns and County to meet their water resources challenges in a dynamic and holistic way, through development of a strategic Water The bright future of the Triangle region makes the news March 2012: The Triangle area listed as the hottest spot for technology jobs in the U.S. according to the technology jobs website DICE.com November 2011: The U.S. Department of Commerce s Bureau of Economic Analysis listed the Triangle area as posting the 5 th best recession recovery November 2010: Newsweek listed the Triangle area as one of the top 10 regions in the country best poised for the recovery and that could emerge even stronger and shinier than before Resources Portfolio. The Portfolio presents strategies that will enable the Towns and County to use flexible approaches to respond to shifting water demand trends, emerging technologies, new communications pathways, changing regulations, and increasing climate variability, along with future uncertainties, as well as risk and reliability issues. The Portfolio provides a mix of practical strategies that can be applied by the Towns and County to meet their water resources responsibilities by implementing the right actions at the right time. 1-1

2 1.1 Project Description The Towns of Apex, Cary, and Morrisville and Wake County worked through a structured twophase process to develop this LRWRP and Water Resources Portfolio. The top leadership of the Towns and County were involved in setting the vision and values for the project and at key strategic decision points. The goal of Phase I was to develop an initial list of potential water resources strategies that could be utilized by the Towns and County to prepare for both short and long-term future water needs. Phase I involved: Creating an explicit Project Purpose Statement and establishing the communities core values Developing a long list of potential water resources strategies that support the project purpose and the values of the communities Identifying the communities water and wastewater needs through 2060 Establishing a decision framework linked directly to the Towns and County s mission, vision, and values Applying the decision framework to narrow the strategies to a short list, identified as the most viable for application in the region by local and national water resources experts Phase II involved: Scenario planning to identify a range of possible future scenarios that could shape or change the direction of the Towns and County in meeting future water resources needs Prioritizing the short list of strategies Preparing details of the priority strategies, including implementation steps, timing, cost, and uncertainties associated with pursuing the strategies Developing the recommended Water Resources Portfolio to: o Align short-term decisions within the long-term strategic objectives outlined by the project purpose statement o Provide a series of options to ensure water resources requirements are met in the future, taking into consideration future uncertainty o Ensure that short-term solutions do not impede the implementation of potential future strategies to the extent possible 1.2 The Regional Setting Project Purpose Statement The Long Range Water Resources Plan will guide the development of reliable, flexible water supply and management solutions that are financially responsible, maintain the quality of service provided to the customers of Apex, Cary, Morrisville, and RTP South, and support our commitment to protecting public health and being good stewards of the natural environment. The water providers in the Triangle region currently serve over one million people from a number of water supplies. Each provider is intricately linked to the area s two main water reservoirs Jordan Lake and Falls Lake both of which are owned and operated by USACE. Over 200,000 people in the Triangle are served by the Apex and Cary water systems. Growth 1-2

3 FIGURE 1-1 Triangle Region Water Supply Provider Interconnectivity Map Created by Triangle J Council of Governments, and development within the Triangle will impact future water supply availability and water demand patterns within the region, and interrelationships among the water providers will become more numerous and increase the complexity of the regional water resources planning landscape. Figure 1-1 identifies the interconnectivity among the water utilities within the Triangle region. In the spirit of continuing to work together proactively and to build upon previous joint planning efforts, the region s water providers formed the Jordan Lake Regional Water Supply Partnership (Jordan Lake Partnership) in The Partnership s objective is to jointly plan for meeting the region s water resource needs. A total of 13 local governments and public bodies are members of the Jordan Lake Partnership: Town of Apex, Town of Cary, Chatham County, City of Durham, Town of Hillsborough, Town of Holly Springs, Town of Morrisville, Orange County, Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), Town of Pittsboro, City of Raleigh and its Merger Partners, City of Sanford, and Wake County Research Triangle Park (RTP) South. 1-3

4 1.3 Water Resources Infrastructure for Apex, Cary, Morrisville, and RTP South The Towns of Cary and Apex jointly own a 40 million-gallon-per-day (mgd) water treatment plant (WTP) using Jordan Lake as its source of water supply; FIGURE 1-2 plans are underway to expand Towns of Apex, Cary, and Morrisville and RTP South Urban Service Area the plant capacity to 56 mgd. Overview The Town of Cary provides potable water to customers in the Towns of Cary and Morrisville, the RTP South, and the Raleigh- Durham (RDU) International Airport. The Town of Apex provides water to customers in the Town and its planning jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction s urban service area, or planned utility service area, is shown in Figure 1-2. When Jordan Lake was authorized by congressional action in 1963, one-third of the conservation pool was designated for water supply and the remaining two-thirds for downstream flow augmentation, to be released during dry periods to maintain downstream water quality and water availability for downstream municipalities. The State of North Carolina allocates the Jordan Lake water supply storage. The State has conducted three rounds of allocation for water supply from Jordan Lake, and the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) has allocated 63 percent (or 63 mgd) of the nominal 100-mgd water supply. The water supply allocations held by the Towns of Apex, Cary, and Morrisville and Wake County (for RTP South) from Jordan Lake total 39 percent of the water supply pool (39 mgd.) The State initiated Round 4 of Jordan Lake allocations in January Allocation applications are evaluated with regard to the local governments predicted future water needs and the availability of alternative water supplies. Where the use of a Jordan Lake water supply allocation would require an interbasin transfer 1-4

5 (IBT), certification of the IBT must be coordinated with the allocation review process. For the Towns and County to be able to access their full current allocation of 39 mgd, an IBT certificate modification, approved by the EMC, is required. Water supply for the Cary/Apex WTP is withdrawn from Jordan Lake in the Haw River basin, and currently most of this water is consumed and/or discharged as highly treated wastewater effluent in the Neuse River basin. Although the Towns are in the process of constructing a new regional water reclamation facility (WRF) that will discharge to the Cape Fear River downstream of Jordan Lake, any additional water supply allocation from Jordan Lake to the Towns could require a modification of the current IBT certificate. In addition to the Cary/Apex WTP, the Towns currently own and operate three WRFs and a fourth, satisfying the Towns IBT certificate, is currently under construction as noted above. The WRF capacities are as follows: Town of Cary: o North Cary WRF 12.0 mgd o South Cary WRF 12.8 mgd Town of Apex o Middle Creek WRF 3.6 mgd Towns of Apex and Cary (joint ownership) o New 18-mgd Western Wake Regional WRF (currently under construction) The Towns of Apex and Cary both hold permits to distribute reclaimed water from their WRFs for non-potable uses within their service area. Currently, Cary has three reclaimed water service areas; North Cary, South Cary and West Cary (currently served from the Durham Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant [WWTP]). These three areas have had a combined reclaimed water demand of approximately 0.3 mgd on an annual average day basis and in excess of 1 mgd on a seasonal peak day to over 600 customers. 1.4 Water Resources Planning History The Towns of Cary and Apex have a long history of developing plans to effectively manage their water resources and ensure safe and reliable water supply for the communities they serve. Joint and individual planning efforts over the past decade include: Town of Cary Long Range Water Supply Plan in 2000 Town of Cary Water Conservation and Peak Demand Management Plan in 2000 Towns of Apex and Cary Middle Creek Reservoir Feasibility Study in 2004 Town of Cary Long Range Water Supply Plan Update in 2004 Town of Cary Integrated Water Resources Management Plan in 2007 Town of Cary Reclaimed Water System Master Plan in 2007 Water Distribution System Master Plan for Town of Cary in 2009 Town of Apex Water Demand Projections/Water Supply Evaluation and Local Water Supply Plan Update in 2010 Water Use Analysis for the Town of Cary in

6 Town of Cary Water Resources and Water Conservation Customer Survey in 2011 Jordan Lake Partnership Regional Water Supply Plan in 2012 Jordan Lake Partnership Interconnection Study in 2012 Reclaimed Water System Master Plan Update for Town of Cary (ongoing) This LRWRP and Water Resources Portfolio build upon these planning initiatives and continue the Towns tradition of planning for the efficient use of water. 1.5 Long Range Water Resources Plan Organization The LRWRP is presented in five sections: Section 1 Introduction o Presents an overview of the LRWRP and the context within which it was developed Section 2 Identifying the Needs for the Future o Presents the water demand forecast and wastewater flow projection through 2060 Section 3 The Planning Process o Presents the detailed steps taken and decisions made to develop this LRWRP Section 4 Water Resources Portfolio o Presents the suite of strategies most suited to meet the Towns and County s water supply and wastewater management needs while providing flexibility to respond to potentially changing futures Section 5 Implementation Plan o Presents the recommended actions to ensure all of the water resources strategies remain viable until such a time as they are no longer necessary. Appendixes A through N contain Technical Memorandums (TMs) that detail the planning process, the technical evaluations, and the decisions made throughout the development of this LRWRP and the Water Resources Portfolio. 1-6