In Cary there is no drought

[Beel]

Anybody else notice that in both the Wednesday 10/17 N&O front page piece on the very alarming drought in NC, and in local TV coverage last night, Cary is some how magically living in relative water abundance when all around the other localities are instituting severe restrictions.  Durham, according to the N&O article, has a relatively short period of time before they actually could run out of water.  Cary, on the other hand, is still at 90% capacity according to the N&O. 

What seems to have slipped by the various Triangle media is that Cary gets it water from Jordan Lake, the main impounded water supply located in Chatham County.  While Cary is supposedly in great shape, the chicken processing industry in Siler City is actually trucking water from Jordan and pouring it into the Rocky River just above the Siler water treatment facility so that they have enough water to stay open.  And Siler City itself is under severe restrictions. 

It would be nice if someone alerted the Triangle media to this situation, and more important perhaps, alerted Cary government.  I do know, for a fact, that our County Commissioners are making efforts to change the unfair water allocation which Cary obtained a number of years ago from the Army Corps of Engineers,  back when  the Chatham Commissioners of that era were apparently asleep at the wheel. 

[Silk_Hope]

Cary also violates Federal law by pulling water from the Cape Fear River Basin and discharges it into the Neuse River Basin. I understand they have a temporary waiver from the Feds until they correct this problem.

[Beel]

Silk Hope, you're on to something.  Extend your analysis to the various specifics currently in play and you may come to see that Chatham County has a fulcrum. 

[Silk_Hope]

Also, currently Jordan is 6 feet down. Cary has one intake at 7 feet and another at 11. Below that Jordan is about 30 feet deep. There are parts of the lake in the little stretch between the main lake and dam is 50 feet. Cary is not worrying about water because of the intakes and the only reason they went on restrictions is because the Govenor asked them to. One word described Cary "selfish!"

[taxpayer]

In this dangerous drought, one would think that everyone across the state would understand the moral and ethical position to impose immediate water restrictions.  Oh well.  Seems to me that most of us on wells are already conserving a lot in Chatham County as a practical and ethical necessity. 

On my way to work most mornings, I am passed by OWASA tanker trucks - are they transporting water to Siler City?

[NC YIPPIE]

Hmmm, I guess that's because they are taking all OUR water from Jordan Lake!!   

[boss289]

Hmmm, I guess that's because they are taking all OUR water from Jordan Lake!!  

Can you tell me how much did Chatham County pay to have the lake built or how much they pay for operation of the lake. The lake is mostly in Chatham yes, but the water in it is not Chathams. BTW it seems funny that everyone is complaining about Cary, but Chatham is still allowing irrigation, so who's ignoring the drought. How many know that the Chatham County water plant gets their raw water from Cary's line, so go ahead and bite the hand that feeds you.

[The Duffster]

Ohmigod . . . I think we have an honest-to-god Cary buttmunch interloping on our BBS!

[boss289]

Ohmigod . . . I think we have an honest-to-god Cary buttmunch interloping on our BBS!

Wrong! I just know that when the lake was first constructed Chatham County had the chance to administrate the operations and did not want anything to do with it. Cary is respected by water professionals across the country for having a model water accountability and conservation program. That is why Jordan Lake has 200 days of water left instead of 70 like Durham and Raleigh.

[Gene Galin]

How many know that the Chatham County water plant gets their raw water from Cary's line, so go ahead and bite the hand that feeds you.

Part of the reason for that is that the state has been hesitant to permit other water intakes on the Lake.

When I was on the water board we had discussed putting in our own Chatham water intake several times.

The phrase "go ahead and bite the hand that feeds you" is inappropriate in this matter.

[Silk_Hope]

Answer this question...How much property tax money was lost when the lake was flooded? How many Chatham farms were destroyed? We do have a right to that water. Cary can find another lake to jump in, as a matter of fact why don't they take the water from the mega developments useless ponds?

[chrstnhsbndfthr]

Answer this question...How much property tax money was lost when the lake was flooded? How many Chatham farms were destroyed? We do have a right to that water. Cary can find another lake to jump in, as a matter of fact why don't they take the water from the mega developments useless ponds?

I suppose you mean that morally we should have a right. But legally, we have NO right to that water.  This issues was settled long ago, and even though it gets brought up again from time to time, we have not been able to get more water.  Our commissioners, apparently believing we would never face any water problems or shortages, torpedoed a deal that would have given a lot more water to the county and cheaply too.  What were they thinking?

[boss289]

Chatham does have a legal right to 6 MGD, but as it stands now the plant capacity is 3 MGD and with the hydraulics of that plant it is lucky to do 2.75. The way the State looks at allocation requests, average daily demand and ability to treat the amount requested are some of determining factors on who gets what.

[bobsyouruncle]

 Our commissioners, apparently believing we would never face any water problems or shortages, torpedoed a deal that would have given a lot more water to the county and cheaply too.  What were they thinking?

Probably the same thing as you when you decided you wanted to own your home rather than pay rent for the rest of your life.

[Beel]

So good of CHF to inform us, as usual, on the moral implications.  Many thanks.  How's the air up there today?  Meanwhile, Chatham County does have some legal leverage on Cary, and I think our good Commissioners are going to use it.  Whether it meets CHF's standards of "morality" I could care less.  There are pretty good moral arguments about how all of us have a fundamental human right to water, being as how we all, rich and poor alike, will die in more or less 3 days without any. 

In the coming years we are going to see the fine capitalists among us try to buy up the water of the world and sell it to them whats can pay the tariff, and the rest be damned.  Water is going to be more valuable than oil, and for CHF, the market is the moral trump card.  Let's hope enough people are aware of the dangers of "privatizing" municipal water supplies to see the tanker truck coming before it gets to the intersection where we're all sitting, arguing about global warming.  Don't count on CHF to blow the horn. 

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