HomeMy WebLinkAboutJordan Lake Project Study of the Benefits and Costs to Chatham County
DRAFT
JORDAN LAKE PROJECT
Study of the Benefits and Costs to Chatham County
Chatham County officials have expressed their concerns over the
increase in local services that are provided in the Jordan Lake
Project area. The purpose of this report is to document some of the
project's impacts on the county since the lake was opened to the
public in 1982.
With the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers, Chatham
County, and the DNRCD staff, we have tried to assess the economic
benefits as well as the burdens that the lake brings to Chatham
County. The following sections describe the project's recreation
areas, trash problems, area law enforcement, losses in County property
tax revenue, and economic benefits related to business and property
valuation.
RECREATION SITES
Most of the recreation areas at Jordan Lake are located within
the center portion of the lake, about 2 to 2 1/2 miles around the
intersection of SR 1008 and US Hwy 64 (See Figure 1). Project land
acquisition (almost 47,000 acres) and the initial development of
recreation facilities has been funded and managed by the Corps of
Engineers.
The lake was filled in 1982 with only rough boat launching
facilities available. This caused congestion and unsanitary
conditions at these facilities as the public increased their use of
the lake. Between 1983 and 1985 "interim" facilities were constructed
to accomodate more of a variety of activities and to disburse the
crowds to Ebenezer Church, Vista Point, Crosswinds access area,
Farrington Point, and Tailrace access area for swimming and picnicking
(no camping). So far only three of the 11 major recreation areas have
been completed; the first major camping and picnic area (Parkers
Creek) will be open for the 1986 summer season. Table 1 provides a
summary the lake's proposed recreation sites with a list of their
facilities and scheduled dates of completion. The initial development
of these sites should be completed by 1989.
As more areas are opened to the public, visitors will have
adequate space for parking, picnicking, camping, and sightseeing.
This should reduce the law enforcement and safety problems that have
occurred when many visitors came to the lake before adequate
facilities were available for their use.
Early Corps estimates predicted that, once the numerous
recreation sites are completed, close to 27,500 people may visit the
Jordan Lake Project on a summer weekend day. More realistic peak day
visitation figures can be derived from the design load of the various
recreation facilities. Table 2 estimates peak visitation figures for
a summer weekend day at Vista Point, Crosswinds, Poplar Point, and
TABLE 1
JORDAN LAKE RECREATION FACILITIES
(Initial development)
MANAGING SCHEDULED PARKING BOAT RAMP SWIM PICNIC CAMPSITES RESTROOMS
SITE ACRES AGENCY COMPLETION cars cars w/ LANES BEACHES TABLES GRP FAM RV PRIM WASH PIT FLUSH
trailers (sq ft) HOUSES (pair) (bldg)
Vista Point 499 Parks Complete 101 100 4 14,400 14 6 50 1 1
Farrington 88 WRC Complete 150 6 112,000 1
NC Forestry 898 Forestry Complete 100 1
Poes Ridge Boat Launch 510 Corps Complete 30 142 5 10 2
Tailwater Corps Jan.'87
Crosswinds Boat Launch Parks Complete 45 215 6
Marina Priv. Complete 2
Campground (490) Parks Mar.'89 2 22,700 198 3 3
Ebenezer Ch.Boat Launch Parks Complete 445 160 6
Campground (200) Parks Mar.'89 90,000 106 1 2
Parkers Creek 656 Parks May'86 415 53 2 45,000 60 6 249 6 4
Poplar Point 580 Parks Nov.'87 100 80 4 46,700 589 8 6
Seaforth 175 Parks Mar.'89 365 150 6 60 3 2
Robeson Creek 370 Parks Mar.'89 20 40 2 2
New Hope Overlook 871 Parks Mar.'89 150 160 6 26 2 57 6
Rivers Junction 300 Parks Dec.'88 20
Belts Landing 475 Parks Dec.'88 20 1
Wildlife Subimpoundments WRC Jan.'87
State Parks O & M Center Parks Nov.'87
State Parks Headquarters 70 Parks TBA
TOTALS 6,182 1,811 1,250 51 330,800 274 14 1,036 50 57 18 17 18
JORDAN LAKE RECREATION FACILITIES
(Initial development)
MANAGING SCHEDULED PARKING BOAT RAMP SWIM PICNIC CAMPSITES RESTROOMS
SITE ACRES AGENCY COMPLETION cars cars w/ LANES BEACHES TABLES GRP FAM RV PRIM WASH PIT FLUSH
trailers (sq ft) HOUSES (pair) (bldg)
Vista Point 499 Parks Complete 101 100 4 14,400 14 6 50 1 1
Farrington 88 WRC Complete 150 6 112,000 1
NC Forestry 898 Parks Complete 100 1
Poes Ridge Boat Launch 510 Corps Complete 30 142 5 10 2
TailwaterCorps Jan.'87
Crosswinds Boat Launch Parks Complete 45 215 6
Marina Priv. Complete 2
Campground (490) Parks Mar.'89 2 22,700 198 3 3
Ebenezer Ch. Boat Launch Parks Complete 445 160 6
Campground (200) Parks Mar.'89 90,000 106 1 2
Parkers Creek 656 Parks May'86 415 53 2 45,000 60 6 249 6 4
Poplar Point 580 Parks Nov.'87 100 80 4 46,700 589 8 6
Seaforth 175 Parks Mar.'89 365 150 6 60 3 2
Robeson Creek 370 Parks Mar.'89 20 40 2 2
NewHope Overlook 871 Parks Mar.'89 150 160 6 26 2 57 6
Rivers Junction 300 Parks Dec.'88 20 1
Bells Landing 475 Parks Dec.'88 20 1
Wildlife Subimpoundments WRC Jan.'87
State Parks O & M Center Parks Nov.'87
State Parks Headquarters 70 Parks TBA
TOTALS 6,182 1,811 1,250 51 330,800 274 14 1,038 50 57 18 17 18
TABLE 2
Designed Maximum Use at Selected Recreation Sites
Jordan Lake Project
Weekend
#Units Turnover Multiplier Day Load
Parkers Creek
Picnic tables 60 1.6 4 people/table 384
Fish./boating ramps 2 40 3 people/boat 240
Campsites: primitive 20 1 4 people/site 80
group 6 1 30 " " 180
family 249 1 5.5 " " 1370
Beach (sq. ft.) 45,000 3 1 pers/150 sq ft 450
TOTAL USERS 2,704
*
2,704 x 2 days /.72 = 7,511 users per week
Weekend
#Units Turnover Multiplier Day Load
Poplar Point
Picnic tables - - - 0
Fish./boating ramps 4 40 3/boat 480
Campsites: family 591 1 5.5/site 3,251
Beach (sq. ft.) 46,700 3 1 pers/150 sq ft 467
TOTAL USERS 4,198
4,198 x 2 days /.72 = 11,611 users per week
Weekend
#Units Turnover Multiplier Day Load
Crosswinds
Picnic tables 30 1.6 4/site 192
Fish./boating ramps 10 40 2/boat 800
Campsites: family 198 1 5.5/site 1,089
Beach (sq. ft.) 22,700 3 1 pers/150 sq ft 227
TOTAL USERS 2,308
2,308 x 2 days /.72 = 6,411 users per week
Weekend
Weekend
#Units Turnover Multiplier Day Load # Units Turnover Multiplier Day Load
Vista Point
Picnic tables 14 1.6 4/site 90
Fish./boating ramps 4 40 2/boat 320
Campsites: group 6 1 30/site 180
family 50 1 5.5/site 275
Beach (sq. ft.) 14,400 3 1 pers/150 sq ft 144
TOTAL USERS 1 , 009
1,009 x 2 days/.72 = 2,802 users per week
* 72 percent of the summer season visitation occurs on
weekend days (Corps of Engineers).
Poplar Creek. The numbers of campsites, picnic tables, etc. (units)
are taken from Table 1. The turnover rates and multiplier.(# people
per space) were used to determine design facility needs (See Jordan
Lake Project Master Plan).
The Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) monitors the use of
their facilities, using traffic counters at the entrance to each open
site. Table 3 shows the monthly use record for the DPR-managed
Crosswinds, Ebenezer Church, and Vista Point sites during 1985.
January (206 visitors/day) and July (3,354 visitors/day) represent the
months of least and most visitors, respectively. The combined
visitation during June, July, and August accounted for 48 percent of
the total use for 1985.
TABLE 3
1985 Monthly Use Record of DPR Recreation Sites
January 6,397 (Low) July 103,984 (High)
February 16,595 August 51,476
March 44,510 September 30,332
April 63,696 October 17,600
May 48,092 November 12,568
June 70,936 December 8,460
------------------------------
TOTAL 474,919 visitors
Recommendation
1. Monitor the use at Parkers Creek in 1986 to help project future
visitation rates for other proposed campgrounds.
2. Replace early Corps project visitation predictions with updated
figures based on 1986 project use,
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
There is a serious problem with litter along public roadsides
and around some of the project's boat launch areas. There are
numerous trash receptacles located throughout the project area, but
they are located only within the completed State Parks recreation
sites. From April to September trash is collected daily from
receptacles, bagged, and carried to a dumpster (8 cu. yds.) located
near the Ebenezer Church site.
Four more dumpsters and numerous trash receptacles will be added
in 1986 -- three at Parkers Creek and one at Vista Point. State
Parks pays a private contractor to empty the dumpster twice per week
and haul the trash to the County landfill. During the off-season
(October to March) the contractor is called on to empty the dumpster
only when it is full.
Chatham County has identified 11 of their dumpster sites (55
boxes) that, because of their close proximity with the lake, are
believed to experience a significant seasonal increase in trash (See
Figure 2). Each of these "lake associated" dumpsters is emptied twice
a week throughout the year, as are the other 59 sites in the county.
During the summer, two empties per week is not enough to meet
the demand. When the dumpster boxes become filled any additional
trash is piled outside of the boxes. According to the superintendent
of the County landfill, each time his men arrived to empty these boxes
in 1985 the equivalent of two additional boxes worth of trash were
deposited outside of each box because it is already filled to
capacity. From May to September of 1985, he estimates that the
equivalent of 880 extra "empties" were needed to clean up the extra
lake -associated trash. Another potential source of area trash may be
from the dramatic increase in the construction of subdivisions in the
project area since 1984 (See Table 8).
11 x 2 x 2 x 20 = 880
Lake-assoc. # equiv. # empties # weeks w/ Extra "empties"
sites boxes per week extra trash in 1985
burden
The County has considered making an extra trip per week to the
heavily-used sites, but they feel that the extra pickup would take
away service from other sections of the County. The County has also
discussed the purchase of an additional truck, but the added cost of a
truck and new employees would be prohibitive. Instead, the County
would like to place two additional dumpster boxes at each of the 11
"lake associated" sites. At $600.00 per box, 22 additional boxes
would cost approximately $13,200.
TABLE 4
Extra Solid Waste Generated in the Jordan Lake Project Area
Dumpster Sites No. Boxes Box Emptyings/Week
1. Jimmy Collins/Robeson Ck 4 8
2. Merry Oaks 5 10
3. Lake Dam Road 5 10
4. Multi-Purpose Center 5 10
5. Bonsal Road 4 8
6. Wilsonville 5 10
7. S.R. 1752 7 14
8. 751 Ballpark 8 16
9. New Hope Church 1 2
10. Boon Docks 3 6
11. Farrell's Store 8 16
Lake-Associated Totals (11 sites) 55 110
Non Lake-Associated Totals (59 sites) 242 866
Cumulative County Totals 297 976
October - April (32 weeks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 x 976 = 31,232 box loads
May - September (20 weeks) . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 x 1020 = 17,952 box loads
TOTAL box emptyings in 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . .49,184 box loads
MAP
There are no seasonal changes in the trash pickup schedule
(twice per week), and there have been no significant changes to this
schedule since the project was opened in 1982. Some of the trash
burden could be alleviated by making three trips to the more heavily
used sites, while reducing the number of pickups at some of the
County's lesser used sites.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Since the opening of the project in 1982, there have been
numerous problems with break-ins and vandalism to vehicles, boats, and
private residences around the lake. As new recreation sites are
opened and more people visit the lake, these problems could increase
or they could decline with more park rangers and organized group and
family campers acting as potential deterrents to crime.
State Parks (Division of Parks & Recreation)
The duties of a State park ranger include managing day-to-day
recreation activities, assisting and supervising project visitors, and
enforcing basic project rules and regulations. Although they have no
power to arrest violators, rangers are capable of handling most of the
problems that they encounter. The issuance of a warning citation is
usually enough to resolve most problems, but if necessary, the ranger
will register a notice of violation with the local sheriff's depart-
ment who may or may not follow up with an arrest. To date there has
not been a case where the Chatham County Sheriff's Department had to
follow up on a Park ranger's warning citation.
There are currently 9 full-time State Park employees working at
the Jordan Lake recreation sites, five of whom are park rangers.
Three more rangers will be hired for Parkers Creek in 1986, and event-
ually, when the sites are completed in 1989, 17 full-time rangers will
be employed at the project.
In addition to the full-time staff, there are currently 18
seasonal park employees working at the project; they include life-
guards, trash handlers, and fee collectors. The number of seasonal
employees will increase as additional sites are completed and opened
to the public.
Currently there are no DPR personnel working at the project
after closing hours, but when the Parkers Creek camping area opens in
1986, there will be at least one attendant on -duty throughout the
night. The State is also finalizing its plans to build four security
residences for rangers to live within the major campgrounds (Parkers
Creek, Poplar Point, Crosswinds, and the State O&M Center).
Wildlife Resources Commission
The wildlife enforcement officers of the Wildlife Resources
Commission (WRC) patrol the lake to enforce State fish and game laws
and WRC water safety regulations. During the off-season, one to four
wildlife enforcement officers patrol the project area; one officer
patrols Chatham County on a full-time basis, while three others patrol
throughout Chatham County and neighboring counties. These officers
have the authority and the training to handle most of the daily
problems that they encounter on project lands. They have jurisdiction
over all aspects of boating and water safety, hunting and trapping,
fishing, and other activities occurring on Jordan Lake and its
adjacent gamelands and navigable waterways.
Wildlife enforcement officers are granted the powers of peace
officers. They are authorized to arrest without a warrant for a
felony, an assault, or a breach of peace that occurs in their
presence. However, if the officer is not an eye witness to the
offense, then he or she must turn matters over to the County Sheriff
Department or to another appropriate authority.
During the 1985 summer season, 6 to 11 officers patrolled the
Jordan Lake project area daily, with the busiest days being weekends,
holidays, and the opening and closing days of hunting and fishing
seasons. However, a new WRC overtime provision will reduce the
number of hours devoted to patrolling the project in 1986.
According to wildlife enforcement officers patrolling Jordan
Lake in 1985, the most pervasive problems were unauthorized camping
(warnings issued), littering around the shoreline, and off-road
vehicles driven in unauthorized areas (see Table 5). There were few
incidents of automobile break-ins reported at Farrington Point. (A
total of five were investigated by the County Sheriff's Dept.) The
arrest figures shown in Table 5 were derived from the County-wide
totals reported by the WRC in 1985.
TABLE 5
WRC Prosecutions for Selected Violations Occuring in the
Jordan Lake Area in 1985*
Violation Totals
Operating vehicle on closed roads 95
Boating safety 58
Littering on gamelands 6
Littering in lake 12
*(Does not include hunting and fishing violations on project lands.
There were approximately 600 arrests made by the WRC on project
lands in 1985.)
Recommendations
1. Document the locations of violations occurring in 1986.
2. Determine when and where enforcement officers are needed most.
3. Develop an accurate method of monitoring the use of the
Farrington Point boat access area.
State Highway Patrol
The primary responsibilities of the State Highway Patrol (SHP)
are to coordinate traffic control and conduct accident investigations
on public roads. They are authorized to make arrests without a
warrant for any traffic violation, felony, assault, or breach of peace
that occurs in their presence.
Nine SHP officers patrol public roads in Chatham County.
Although they have law enforcement authority anywhere in the county
(and the state), these officers do not involve themselves in the
day-to-day matters occurring on project lands. However, in the event
of an emergency (i.e., flood or dam failure), they would assist local
authorities with transportation, traffic control, communications, and
the protection of life and property.
Most of the project's recreation areas are located within the
center portion of the lake, about 2 to 2 1/2 miles around the
intersection of SR 1008 and US Hwy 64. Table 6 summarizes the motor
vehicle accidents reported by the SHP at this busy intersection from
1982 to 1985.
TABLE 6
Accidents Reported at the Intersections of Hwy 64 and SR 1008
Year Number of Accidents
1982 2
1983 5
1984 14
1985* 5
27**
* A stoplight was installed near the end of 1985.
** 14 injured, no fatalities
Recommendations
1. Document the locations of violations occurring of 1986.
2. Enforce the no parking areas along public roadsides.
Chatham County Sheriff's Department
With the increasing numbers of project visitors since 1982,
especially during the summer months, the County has been providing
additional law enforcement services in the project area (See List of
Incident Reports Recorded in the Jordan Lake Area). Deputies from the
Chatham County Sheriff's Department patrol public boat launch areas to
prevent thieves from robbing cars parked there by boaters, and are
called in to settle disputes because there have been too few park
employees to provide adequate supervision.
The County Sheriff's Department uses four teams to provide 24-
hour coverage throughout the county. Each team is comprised of a
sergeant and three uniformed deputies; two patrol east and west of
Pittsboro. When one member of the team is on leave, that leaves only
three deputies to cover the entire county.
Five detectives are also on staff, providing routine and felony
investigations. Detectives work weekdays from 8:30 am through 10:30
pm and are on call on rotating weekends.
Chatham County officials are concerned that the increased level
of attention directed toward the Jordan Lake area takes law enforce-
ment protection away from other portions of the county. The Sheriff's
Department estimates that 8 to 12 additional full-time deputies, or 2
to 3 deputies per shift, are needed to provide the project area with
round-the-clock coverage. At $20,000/deputy, the annual cost of
employing 8 to 12 additional deputies would be between $160,000 and
$240,000. County officials have estimated it would cost $300,000
annually to add 12 deputies and a new patrol car to the department.
Until September 1, 1985, the Corps of Engineers were paying the
County $10,000 a year for the extra law enforcement required by the
lake. With the additional funds, a $10,000 boat was purchased for the
Sheriff's Department to aid in patrolling the lake and searching for
suspected drowning victims. (There have been four known drownings in
Jordan Lake.) Now that the management of the lake is in the process
of being turned over to the State, the payments have stopped. The
State feels it is appropriate for the Corps to continue the assistance
as long as the Corps continues to own all of the project lands and
holds valuable property at the project which needs protection. (There
were two robberies reported at the Corps' office near Moncure in 1985.
Among the stolen property were a tractor, office furniture, and
computer equipment.)
Recommendation
When construction of the project's recreation sites are
completed in 1989, the additional full-time State Parks employees
should be able to reduce the number of offenses from those that
occurred between 1982 and 1985. There will always be some incidents
that cannot be handled by park rangers and will be referred to the
Chatham County Sheriff's Department.
The County's reported need for an additional 8 to 12 deputies to
patrol the project area seems to be excessive. By focusing their
attention on certain documented problem areas, the Department may be
able to eliminate certain chronic problems. Since January 1, 1986,
the Sheriff's Department has kept a separate file for incident reports
occurring in the Jordan Lake Project area.
LOSS IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE
With the Federal government's purchase of land for the Jordan
Lake Project, a total of 46,768 acres was transferred into public
ownership. Of that total, 87 percent (40,830 acres) is located in
Chatham County.
To help offset the loss in local property taxes from these now
tax exempt project lands, the County receives $29,916 annually from
the Federal government --a figure that the County feels is much too
low. As one effort to reduce Federal spending, the Reagan
Administration has proposed the elimination of local payments in lieu
of taxes for Federal land acquisitions. (Wake County also receives
$12,000 a year in lieu of lost property taxes resulting from the
acquisition of land for the Falls Lake Project.)
To estimate the direct loss in property tax revenue from the
Jordan Lake Project, Chatham County has applied the farm use valuation
($500/acre), the lowest tax rate applied in the county, to their
portion of the project lands.
40,830 acres x $500/acre x $0.72/$100 = $146,988
Farm Use Chatham Co.
Valuation Tax Rate
This estimate does not account for the adjustment of taxable
acreage to correct for non-developable acres, such as former churches,
roads, floodplains, rivers and streams located on project lands.
With the potential for taxing some of the land at a rate greater
than the farm use valuation, the County feels that a more accurate
estimate of the probable loss of revenue due to the Jordan Lake
Project would fall somewhere in the range of $150,000 to $200,000.
TABLE 7
Chatham County Businesses Benefitting From Jordan Lake
NAME LOCATION
* 1. G.R. Ferrell's SRs 1008/1717
* 2. Holt's One-Stop SRs 1972/1910
* 3. P'Boro Bait & Tackle Hwy 64 (E of P'boro)
* 4. Jordan Dam Mini Mart Moncure, Hwy 1/SR 1012
5. Crosswinds Marina Hwy 64 (N)
6. Vista Pt.Bait & Tackle SR 1700
7. Al's Sport Shop Moncure, Old US 1
8. Lake Mart Wilsonville, SR 1008/Hwy 64(N)
9. Sportsmans Trad.Post Griffins X-Rd
10. Wilsonville Gen Store Wilsonville,
& Mama's Kitchen SR 1008/Hwy 64 (S)
11. New store ** Moncure, Old US 1
* Store was open before 1980
** Lot was rezoned commercial Feb '86; located across from Al's
Sport Shop
The last reappraisal of all real property in Chatham County was
in 1979, before the filling of Jordan Lake. The next reappraisal by
the County will be completed by January 1, 1987. At that time, it may
be possible to estimate the increase in property tax valuation
attributed to the construction of the lake.
TABLE 8
Subdivisions Approved in Chatham County (1972-1985)
PERIOD COUNTY -WIDE JORDAN LAKE AREA* % APPROVED IN
(subdiv/#units) (subdiv/#units) PROJECT AREA
Jan '72 - Dec '80 28/928 12/441 48%
Jan '81 - Jul '82 20/251 11/161 64%
Aug '82 - Dec '83 14/214 8/119 56%
Jan '84 - Jul '85 13/2,618 7/2,584 99%
* Hwy 15/501 and east; US 1 and north
(Source: Chatham County Planning Director)
Table 8 shows the recent increase in subdivisions approved in
Chatham County and particularly in the areas northeast of Pittsboro
(See Figure 3). This increase can be attributed to the economic
growth of the area, the influence of Hwy 15-501, and, to some degree,
to the creation of Jordan Lake. One problem with building homes in
the area just east of the lake is that the poor drainage character-
istics of the underlying Durham-Triassic soils (See Figure 4) help
limit area subdivisions to lot sizes of greater than one acre. Without
this natural impediment to construction, the growth of this area would
be even more widespread.
CONCLUSIONS
B:JORDANRS.DRF
VA
Subdivisions Approved in the Jordan Lake Area
of Chatham County (1972-1985)
Figure 3
MAP
Figure 4
The Durham-Triassic Soil Formation
Chatham County, NC
MAP
TABLE 8
Subdivisions Approved in Chatham County (1972-1985)
PERIOD COUNTY -WIDE JORDAN LAKE AREA* % APPROVED IN
(subdiv/#units) (subdiv/#units) PROJECT AREA
1972-1980 28/928 12/441 48%
Jan 81-Jul 82 20/251 11/161 64%
Aug 82-Dec 83 14/214 8/119 56%
Jan 84-Jul 85 13/2618 7/2584 <99%
* Hwy 15/501 and east; US 1 and north
(Source: Chatham County Planning Director)
B:JORDANRS.DRF
VA
MAP
Jordan Lake Area
Divided into Quadrants
(See list of Chatham Co. Sheriff's
Dept. Incident Reports 1985)
MAP