DEQ-CFW_00070233

CITY OF CLINTON
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF
THE BLADEN BLUFFS REGIONAL SURFACE WATER SYSTEM
Councilmember Harris moved that the following be adopted. Councilmember Becton
seconded the motion and it passed unanimously:
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Clinton (the Council) finds that the
availability of water suitable for industrial use, irrigation, and human consumption is
instrumental to the economic well-being of the region, particularly as it relates to the growth
of industry and agriculture, and the development of commercial and residential properties;
and
WHEREAS, the Council finds that the continued availability of such water requires
management of long-range sustainable water supply sources; and
WHEREAS, the Council finds that the preservation of regional groundwater
resources in Clinton and surrounding areas necessitates the evaluation of alternative water
sources, including surface water; and
WHEREAS, the Lower Cape Fear Water & Sewer Authority (the Authority) is a
non-profit public agency organized under the provisions of the North Carolina Water and
Sewer Authorities Act; and
WHEREAS, the Authority is authorized to construct and operate water and sewer
systems located within its service area consisting of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New
Hanover, and Pender Counties, and the City of Wilmington; and
WHEREAS, the Authority and Smithfield Packing Company, Inc. (SPC) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding dated January 9, 2006 regarding the development,
construction and operation of a raw water intake behind Lock and Dam Number 2 on the
Cape Fear River and a raw water storage reservoir and a water treatment plant in Tar Heel,
North Carolina and with the possibility of additional capacity to serve the needs of regional,
local government and other industrial users (the Project); and
WHEREAS, the name of the Project shall be the Bladen Bluffs Regional Surface
Water System; and
WHEREAS, the Authority and SPC have negotiated and executed a Project
Development Agreement (the PDA) that specifies the rights and responsibilities of both
parties with respect to the Project; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the PDA, the Authority is responsible for obtaining all
approvals relating to the construction and financing of the Project, including obtaining all
required local, State and Federal, land -use, environmental and other regulatory approvals and
water rights; and
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• " V
WHEREAS, the preparation of an Environmental Assessment by the Authority and
the issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) by the North Carolina
Department of Environment and Natural Resources is a prerequisite to the issuance of several
required permits for the Project; and
WHEREAS, the construction of the Project and use of surface water for water supply
purposes will require a reclassification (the Reclassification) of a portion of the Cape Fear
River from a Class "C" surface water to a "WS-IV" water supply classification; and
WHEREAS, the Reclassification must be approved through rulemaking by the North
Carolina Environmental Management Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Authority has initiated work on the Project by awarding contracts
for the preparation of the Environmental Assessment and the Request for Reclassification;
and
WHEREAS, the Authority intends to submit the Environmental Assessment and the
Request for Reclassification for approval by appropriate State and Federal regulatory
agencies.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Council of
Clinton hereby endorse the Project and support the issuance of the required regulatory
approvals, including the FONSI and the Reclassification.
Adopted this the 14th day of November, 2006.
ATTEST:
-.
Eliza th Fortner
Town Clerk
Luther D. Starling, Jr.
Mayor
DEQ-CFW 00070234