KLRWS_Public_Hearing_03.15

Petition for
Kerr Lake Regional Water System
Interbasin Transfer Certificate
Public Hearing
City of Henderson – City Hall
March 31, 2015
Outline
•Interbasin Transfer (IBT) Basics
–What is a transfer?
•Kerr Lake Regional Water System 
(KLRWS) IBT Project 
–Description
–Timeline
–Statutory Process
•Final Decision = Environmental 
management Commission (EMC)
Definition & Purpose
• The withdrawal of surface water from one river
basin and discharge of all or any part of the
water in a river basin different from the origin.
• The purpose of the Interbasin Transfer Law is
to ensure it is good public policy to move
water from one river basin into another.
Example A:
Water is withdrawn from
one basin and
discharged into another
Example B:
Water is returned to
source basin but
consumed elsewhere.
Town
Town
Source basin
Receiving basin
Source basin
Receiving basin
Simplified View of IBT
• Transfer = Withdrawal – Return
• Net Transfer, Not Gross
The amount of a transfer is
determined by the amount
of water moved from the
source basin to the
receiving basin, less the
amount of water returned to
the source basin.
Statutory Thresholds
• 2 million gallons per day (mgd) or more, calculated as a daily
average of a calendar month.
• Not to exceed 3 mgd maximum day.
• Increase an existing/ grandfathered transfer (exceeding 2
mgd) determined by the system capacity as of July 1, 1993.
Statutory Changes
• The NC General Assembly has made at least eight significant changes to the 1993 IBT Law.
• Six IBT Certificates have been issued.
• Revision in Session Law 2014-120
– Included specific United States Corps of
Engineers (USACE) reservoirs under a separate
statutory process from the general requirements.
• Single Public Hearing for Petition
• Environmental Assessment (EA) meets the
minimum criteria for environmental documentation
• Adequacy determination of environmental document by NC Department of Environment and
natural Resources (NCDENR)
Proposed Project Description
Primary Applicant:Kerr Lake Regional Water System
Source Basin:Roanoke
Receiving Basins:Tar, Fishing Creek, Neuse
Grandfathered Allowance: 10 MGD (max day)
Existing IBT (2013 data):4.64 MGD (avg day/max mth)
Roanoke to Tar:3.63 MGD
Roanoke to Fishing Creek:0.82 MGD
Roanoke to Neuse:0.19 MGD
Total  Requested IBT (2045 Demands):14.2 MGD (avg day/max mth)
Roanoke to Tar:10.7 MGD
Roanoke to Fishing Creek:1.7 MGD
Roanoke to Neuse:1.8 MGD
Kerr Lake Regional Water  System
• Primary Partners
• City of Henderson
• City of Oxford
• Warren County
• City of Henderson
operates WTP.
• Water sales to 15
additional
communities/water
users in Vance,
Warren, Granville,
and Franklin
Counties
• KLRWS Agreements with
USACE
– 2005 allocation equivalent to 20
mgd average annual withdrawal
– KLRWS is paying the USACE for
water storage and lost power
capability compensation
• Requested IBT within the
contracted 20 mgd.
There will be NO request to
increase an allocation from
John H. Kerr Reservoir.
KLRWS & USACE
Raleigh & Wake County
• Neither the City of Raleigh nor Wake County is a
party to this IBT request. No transferred water from
the KLRWS will cross the Wake County boundary.
• Per required statutory conditions (§ 143-
215.22L(n)(7)), applicant will not be allowed to resell
the transferred water to any other public water
system who is not listed as a co-applicant on the
certificate. Wake County
• Reduction of initial
projected demands
and IBT
• USACE Allocation of
20 mgd not projected
to be exceeded by
2060
• Modeled results show
no impact of transfer
Lake levels during
extreme drought
Low flow duration
Hydropower
Examples of Modeling Scenarios
KLRWS IBT Environmental Assessment 
IBT Process § 143‐215.22L.(w) 
Requirements for Coastal Counties and Reservoirs Constructed by the 
United States Army Corps of Engineers
II. Applicant prepares environmental document (EA)
pursuant to State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
I. Applicant submits Notice of Intent to file a petition.
III. NCDENR publishes a Petition in the NC Register.
Public hearing for
Petition request
Comments
accepted for 30
days following
hearing
EMC ISSUES
FINAL
DETERMINATION
Adequacy
Determination
NCDENR submits
document to State
Clearinghouse for public
comment (30-day period)
NCDENR prepares
written response to
comments (i.e.,
hearing officer’s
report)
Project Timeline
July 2015 Determination by EMC
March 2015 Public Hearing for Petition
March 2015 Petition submitted for Public Comment
January 2015 EA submitted for Public Comment
October 2014 Draft EA submitted to DWR 
September 2014 Revision of Roanoke River Basin Hydrologic Model
March/April 2009 Series of Public Meetings
January 2009 NOI Submitted by KLRWS
Hearing Officer Recommendations
Findings of Fact
• The EMC may grant a Petition in whole or in part, or deny
it, and may require mitigation measures to minimize
detrimental effects. In making this determination, the EMC
is required to specifically consider:
– The necessity, reasonableness, and beneficial effects of
transfer amount
– Detrimental effects on the source river basin
• The cumulative effect of uses on the source major river basin
– Detrimental effects on the receiving basin
– Reasonable alternatives to the proposed transfer
– Use of impounded storage
– Purposes and water storage allocations in a US Army Corps
of Engineers multipurpose reservoir
– The service area of the applicant with respect to the source
and receiving basins
– Any other facts or circumstances
Contact Information
Harold M. Brady
NCDENR ‐Division of Water Resources
[e-mail]
919‐707‐9005