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Group Ponders What Course is Best for the Eno River: Noting the River's Past - Charting Its Future

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 April 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Cheryl Johnston Sadgrove, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

Apr. 12--The Eno River, which once ran red from fabric dye, has come a long way from its mill days.

In recent years, the river, which winds from the Carr community in northwestern Orange to Falls Lake in Durham, has proved clean enough to drink in Hillsborough, to wade in at the Eno River State Park, and to sustain uncommon mussels and a unique snail.

A group of about 50 people met Tuesday to talk about how to keep the river clean and flowing while meeting rising demands for water from new development.

The conference grew out of talks about drought conditions last summer among Orange County, Hillsborough and the Orange-Alamance Water System.

Representatives from Durham, the state, the Eno River Association, Eno River State Park and Lake Orange organizations shared their interests and concerns.

Some want to increase the minimum flow through Orange County to protect the aquatic habitat, perhaps using an allotment of 500,000 gallons of water today that a local mining company is no longer using.

"The river itself needs to be an equal priority to all the things it can do for us," said Robin Jacobs, executive director of the Eno River Association.

Others want to see less water released from Lake Orange, guidelines on clearing the river of obstructions, more water resources education and an updated agreement among the parties that pull water from the river.

The engineers talked about more accurate ways to gauge the river's flow, and elected officials talked about the different rules Hillsborough and Orange County have for determining when drought conditions kick in.

The participants broke into groups in the afternoon to bring back recommendations of what needs to be worked on for the next six months.

Several people discussed a possible partnership between Hillsborough and the city of Durham to treat the town's water and possibly its wastewater.

Currently, Hillsborough pulls water from reservoirs north of town and sends its treated wastewater down the river to Durham, where it joins Falls Lake.

Durham has suggested that the town could send water to Durham for treatment and have the drinking water piped back.

It might be cheaper for Hillsborough than expanding the town's water treatment plant, said Hillsborough Town Manager Eric Peterson.

In addition to providing more revenue for Durham's water management system, the arrangement could provide another way to increase the river's flow, said Terry Rolan, director of Durham's Water Management Department.

Durham is studying the feasibility of such a partnership and what it would charge Hillsborough.

Hillsborough is contracting for a study on its options with a report due in about six months, Peterson said.

Those at the conference Tuesday plan to meet again in October.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

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Source: The News & Observer

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