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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBrunswick_PublicNotice Brunswick County Proposed Interbasin Transfer Notice of Public Meetings April 16, 2009, 6:00 PM Brunswick County Commissioners Chambers Brunswick County Government Center David R. Sandifer Administration Building 30 Government Center Drive NE, Bolivia, NC April 21, 2009, 6:00 PM Leland Town Hall 102 Town Hall Drive, Leland, NC April 23, 2009, 6:00 PM Carolina Shores Commissioners Chambers Carolina Shores Town Hall 200 Persimmon Road, Carolina Shores, NC April 28, 2009, 6:00 PM Elizabethtown Council Chambers Elizabethtown Town Hall 805 West Broad Street, Elizabethtown, NC Brunswick County and the towns of Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, and Ocean Isle Beach will hold four public meetings in cooperation with the North Carolina Division of Water Resources to receive comments on their request for an interbasin transfer (IBT) from the Cape Fear River Basin to the Waccamaw River Basin and Shallotte River Basin. Notice of these meetings is given in accordance with N.C. General Statute § 143- 215.22L. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information to interested parties and the public regarding the nature and extent of the proposed transfer and to receive comment on the scope of the required environmental document. The first public meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. on April 16, 2009 at the Brunswick County Government Center in Bolivia, NC. Three additional meetings will be held: April 21 at the Leland Town Hall, April 23 at the Carolina Shores Town Hall, and April 28 at the Elizabethtown Town Hall. At each of the meetings, a brief presentation will be made followed by an opportunity to provide oral comments. Representatives from the County and the Division of Water Resources will be in attendance. Brunswick County, among the fastest growing counties in the state, provides water to more than 29,000 retail customers and 10 wholesale customers. Future demand for water has prompted a proposal to expand the County’s Northwest Water Treatment Plant Brunswick County Proposed Interbasin Transfer Page 2 of 3 Public Notice (WTP). In conjunction with this proposed expansion, future increases in the transfer of water from the Northwest WTP’s source, the Cape Fear River, to customers in the adjacent Lumber Major River Basin, are expected to trigger the need for an IBT certificate from the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) under the Regulation of Surface Water Transfers Act. The County has two water treatment plants: the Northwest WTP, located near Northwest and supplied by water from the Cape Fear River, and the 211 WTP, located near St. James and supplied by 15 groundwater wells into the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority (LCFWSA) supplies raw water to the Northwest WTP from an intake on the Cape Fear River above Lock and Dam 1. The Northwest WTP and 211 WTP have permitted capacities of 24 million gallons per day (MGD) and 6 MGD, respectively. The Northwest WTP is now approaching 80 percent capacity on peak days. To meet future water demand, the County is proposing to expand the Northwest WTP from 24 MGD to 36 MGD. The expansion of the Northwest WTP is expected to trigger the need for an IBT certificate since a portion of the surface water treated at the Northwest WTP in the Cape Fear River Basin, as defined by G.S. § 143-215.22G, is distributed to customers in the Shallotte River Basin and the Waccamaw River Basin, both of which are located in the Lumber Major River Basin. Waters located in the Lumber Major River Basin (except for the Lockwoods Folly and Shallotte rivers), including the Waccamaw River, are tributaries of the Pee Dee River, which flows to Winyah Bay in South Carolina. The Shallotte River and Lockwoods Folly River are also considered part of the Lumber Major River Basin and flow directly into the Atlantic Ocean. Under the grandfather provision of the Regulation of Surface Water Transfers Act, Brunswick County may transfer up to 10.44 MGD from one designated river basin to another without an IBT certificate. Based on water demand projections, it is expected that the County’s grandfathered transfer capacity will be exceeded during the year 2012 and therefore require an IBT certificate. At that time, 9.68 MGD and 0.76 MGD are expected to be transferred to the Shallotte River Basin and Waccamaw River Basin, respectively, and not returned to the source river basin. The County is requesting an IBT certificate from the EMC for a maximum transfer of 18.35 MGD to the Shallotte River Basin and a maximum transfer of 0.94 MGD to the Waccamaw River Basin based on projections through 2040. The purpose of this announcement is to encourage those interested in this matter to provide comments and to comply with statutory notice requirements. You may attend either of the public meetings and make relevant oral comments and/or submit written comments. All statements made at the meeting will be audio recorded. However, written submissions of oral comments at the hearings are kindly requested. The meeting conveners may limit the length of oral presentations if many people want to speak. If you are unable to attend, written comments can be mailed to Brunswick County Public Utilities Department, Attn. Jerry Pierce, P.E., P.O. Box 249, Bolivia, NC 28422 or Brunswick County Proposed Interbasin Transfer Page 3 of 3 Public Notice emailed to jpierce@brunsco.net. Comments on the alternatives and issues that should be addressed in the environmental document required by the governing statute are requested. Oral, mailed, and emailed comments will be given equal consideration. Comments will be accepted up to 30 days following the last public meeting. Interested parties will also have future opportunities to provide comments during the IBT request process.