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Cane Creek Reservoir and Bingham Township

OWASA’s reservoir, the watershed land purchases and the farm families displaced.

In briefFrom the first engineering studies of 1961 to the filling of the reservoir in 1989: OWASA's Cane Creek Reservoir, the watershed land purchases, and the Bingham Township farm families displaced.

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27 works about Cane Creek Reservoir and Bingham Township are indexed here.

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Fishing on Cane Creek Reservoir
Fishing on Cane Creek Reservoir

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  1. The Teer family starts a dairy in the Cane Creek community The Teer family began its dairy business in 1927 with six cows, on land in the Cane Creek community the family had farmed since its forebear James Polk Teer settled there, according to the family's account in a 1980 Daily Tar Heel feature. By 1980 the 487-acre farm milked 102 cows and stood to lose 125 acres of bottom land to OWASA's proposed Cane Creek reservoir. Place: Teer dairy farm, Cane Creek community, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, September 17, 1980, p. 6
  2. UNC considers the Jordan Reservoir for its water and Okun argues for Cane Creek While Okun was on sabbatical in 1961 the university began considering the Jordan Reservoir as a water source; on his return he persuaded the board that Cane Creek, which his students had studied in the 1950s, was the better site. People: Daniel A. Okun Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Carolina Story: Cane Creek Reservoir (Water at UNC-Chapel Hill)
  3. Engineering study for UNC recommends a reservoir on Cane Creek After the 1968 drought left University Lake dangerously low, a study sponsored by the University of North Carolina and conducted by the engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer recommended damming Cane Creek. The Haw River, the proposed Jordan reservoir, an enlarged University Lake and the Eno were among the alternatives set aside. People: Daniel A. Okun Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyCaselaw Access Project: In re Appeal from Environmental Management Commission, 53 N.C. App. 135 (1981)
  4. Cane Creek is chosen as the site of a new reservoir and area landowners organize against it A consultant's feasibility study concluded that Cane Creek, west of Carrboro, was the best site for a reservoir to supplement University Lake. The new Orange Water and Sewer Authority approved Cane Creek as the site in late August 1976 and began assembling land there. Cane Creek residents and farmers, who by the Daily Tar Heel's later account had been fighting the reservoir since October 1976, formed a conservation group and fought the project in court for years, arguing that it would destroy farms and hasten the decline of agriculture and that expanding University Lake had not been properly considered. People: Daniel A. Okun Place: Cane Creek, Orange County · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityANCHOR, A North Carolina History Online Resource: Cane Creek Reservoir · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 30, 1976, p. 16; The Daily Tar Heel, August 31, 1976, p. 1; The Daily Tar Heel, October 11, 1976, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, March 21, 1979, p. 1
  5. UNC trustees approve a Cane Creek pipeline on OWASA's recommendation With University Lake 64 inches below capacity, the UNC Board of Trustees approved an $824,450 pipeline and small temporary dam to draw water from Cane Creek, described as a step toward the planned reservoir. OWASA, due to take over the University water system in January 1977, recommended the Cane Creek project over alternatives that included pumping raw water from the Haw River to a treatment plant. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: Board of Trustees approve $824,000 pipeline from Cane Creek, October 11, 1976
  6. Orange Grove residents form the Cane Creek Conservation Authority Farm families around Cane Creek organized the Cane Creek Conservation Authority to stop the dam and elected 23-year-old dairy farmer Bobby Kirk president; the group had about 100 active members and said 12 dairy farms would be affected. It argued that the reservoir would end farming in the area, that owners had not been consulted, and that Jordan Lake and other sources were alternatives. People: Bobby Kirk Place: Orange Grove, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: Area groups opposed to planned Cane Creek reservoir, December 6, 1976
  7. OWASA reopens its study of enlarging University Lake at the Cane Creek farmers' request Though it had chosen Cane Creek for a second reservoir, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority reactivated studies of raising the University Lake dam at the request of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, while continuing its field surveys at Cane Creek. The farmers' attorney said raising the dam 22 feet would store as much water as the Cane Creek project. Place: University Lake and Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, January 17, 1977, p. 2
  8. OWASA presses on with its Cane Creek reservoir survey over landowners' objections The Orange Water and Sewer Authority went ahead with surveying and final planning for the proposed Cane Creek reservoir, taking no action on Cane Creek landowners' request that an anonymous consultant review figures from its engineers, Hazen and Sawyer. Authority member Shirley Marshall called the request a delaying tactic and said the landowners had also refused to let surveyors onto their land; the landowners proposed enlarging University Lake instead, which Marshall said would cost too much and not solve Chapel Hill's water problems. Place: Cane Creek, Orange County · Also named: Shirley Marshall · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, March 15, 1977, p. 2
  9. Court rules OWASA may survey Cane Creek land, staying the order for an appeal The Orange Water and Sewer Authority won a court ruling that it could survey land along Cane Creek for its proposed reservoir, but the court granted the Cane Creek landowners' association a 30-day stay to appeal to the state Court of Appeals. The Orange Grove group, formed in October 1976, said the reservoir would ruin dairy farms and drown bottomland forest; OWASA called Cane Creek the best long-term source. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, June 2, 1977, p. 4
  10. Court of Appeals lets OWASA survey Cane Creek land over owners' objections Landowners including the estate of Nancy Armstrong had refused OWASA's surveyors access to the dam site. After a trial court ordered access on April 28, 1977, the N.C. Court of Appeals held that the authority could enter and survey before starting eminent domain proceedings. Place: Cane Creek, Orange County · Also named: Nancy ArmstrongCaselaw Access Project: Orange Water & Sewer Authority v. Estate of Armstrong, 34 N.C. App. 162 (1977) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, September 27, 1977, p. 1
  11. Cane Creek landowners vote to take the reservoir survey case to the state Supreme Court A week after the N.C. Court of Appeals let OWASA survey their land, members of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority voted unanimously to ask the N.C. Supreme Court to review the decision and considered seeking a stay of the survey. By mid-October their petition was before the Supreme Court while OWASA scheduled its surveyors to start Oct. 17. Place: Orange Grove community, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, October 5, 1977, p. 3
  12. OWASA asks the state for power to condemn Cane Creek land OWASA petitioned the N.C. Environmental Management Commission for a certificate authorizing eminent domain for the Cane Creek reservoir, which would need about 700 acres of mostly woodland and prime farmland. The commission held a seven-day hearing between April and June 1978. Place: RaleighCaselaw Access Project: In re Appeal from Environmental Management Commission, 53 N.C. App. 135 (1981) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, December 6, 1978, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, March 21, 1979, p. 1
Show all 65 dated events
  1. The Women's Club of Chapel Hill calls for a halt to the Cane Creek reservoir The Women's Club passed a resolution, sent to OWASA and the mayor of Chapel Hill, asking a moratorium on the Cane Creek reservoir and answers on alternatives such as enlarging University Lake or drawing on Jordan Lake, joining Orange Grove residents and Cane Creek farmers in the fight. Club president June Howard said OWASA had decided by itself; executive director Everett Billingsley said Cane Creek would be the supply for the foreseeable future. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: June Howard, Everett BillingsleyThe Daily Tar Heel, March 14, 1978, p. 3
  2. UNC trustees back OWASA's bid to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir The UNC Board of Trustees authorized the University to intervene on the side of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority at the state Environmental Management Commission's hearing on OWASA's request to condemn land for the $9 million Cane Creek reservoir, joining the Chapel Hill and Carrboro boards of aldermen, which had passed similar motions the week before. Landowners in the Cane Creek Conservation Authority opposed the reservoir to protect the area's dairy farms. People: Braxton Foushee Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, April 17, 1978, p. 3
  3. The state Environmental Management Commission hears OWASA's Cane Creek condemnation request The N.C. Environmental Management Commission held a two-day public hearing at Grey Culbreth Junior High School on the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's request to condemn land for a reservoir of about 700 acres on Cane Creek. The Army Corps of Engineers asked for a delay, saying OWASA had not counted the cost of lost farmland, while UNC professor Daniel Okun testified that Cane Creek was the cleanest and cheapest source and that only two families would be displaced. Place: Grey Culbreth Junior High School, Chapel Hill · Also named: Daniel OkunThe Daily Tar Heel, April 27, 1978, p. 1
  4. County commissioners reappoint Paul Morris to OWASA over Cane Creek landowners' request The Orange County commissioners reappointed Paul Morris to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority board by a 4-0 vote, after members of the Cane Creek Association asked for a representative from Bingham Township and Commissioner Norman Walker nominated Joe Howard, an Environmental Protection Agency chemist. The landowners were fighting OWASA's plan for a reservoir that would flood about 480 acres, including the Teer family farm and the old Teer general store and post office. Place: Orange County · Also named: Paul Morris, Norman Walker, Joe Howard, Mike TeerThe Daily Tar Heel, July 6, 1978, p. 3
  5. The Cane Creek Conservation Authority asks OWASA to halt the Cane Creek reservoir until Jordan Lake is built The Cane Creek Conservation Authority and allied groups asked the Orange Water and Sewer Authority for a moratorium on the planned Cane Creek reservoir until the Jordan Lake project was finished, arguing that Jordan Lake could supply southern Orange County for 70 years and spare their farms. OWASA, which needed about 700 acres, expected to start construction by mid-1979. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham Township, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, October 4, 1978, p. 1
  6. UNC students organize the Friends of Cane Creek A group of 20 to 25 UNC students organized as the Friends of Cane Creek to back the Cane Creek Conservation Authority's fight against OWASA's proposed reservoir, building public awareness and raising money for the landowners' court battle. Founder Mitch Lerner said students should take part because their growing numbers had helped create the area's water shortage; the group set its first fund-raiser, a square dance at the Mad Hatter, for October 8. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Mitch Lerner · Also mentions: Mad HatterThe Daily Tar Heel, September 18, 1979, p. 4
  7. A state hearing panel recommends denying OWASA the power to condemn Cane Creek land A three-member panel of the state Environmental Management Commission recommended against the permit OWASA needed to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir. The majority found OWASA had not seriously weighed alternatives such as Jordan Lake because its contract for taking over the University's water system tied it to Cane Creek, and it cited the harm to the area's dairy farms and community. Place: Cane Creek, western Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, March 21, 1979, p. 1
  8. Orange County commissioners put off OWASA's request to condemn the Cane Creek land After the state panel's recommendation, OWASA board members asked the Orange County commissioners to condemn the Cane Creek reservoir site themselves, since a county needs no state permit to do so. The commissioners answered that they would decide whether to step in only after a new countywide task force drew up a water resources plan. Place: Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, March 26, 1979, p. 3
  9. State commission overrules its hearing panel and backs condemnation A three-member Environmental Management Commission panel recommended in March 1979 that OWASA be denied the certificate, but on April 12 the full commission, voting 6 to 2 in a closed session, adopted the minority report and granted it. The Daily Tar Heel reported this was the first time the full commission had gone against a panel's recommendation. Place: RaleighThe Daily Tar Heel: Dam delayed in planning stages, August 2, 1979 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, April 13, 1979, p. 1
  10. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks for 1,500 acres of wildlife land to offset Cane Creek On April 23, 1979, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended to the Army Corps of Engineers that OWASA acquire 1,500 acres of wildlife mitigation land beyond the 780 acres needed for the Cane Creek reservoir. The Corps had to consider but not follow the advice. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, April 24, 1979, p. 1
  11. A consultant's study ranks Cane Creek eighth of 11 water sources on cost On April 25, 1979, L.E. Wooten and Company of Raleigh gave the Army Corps of Engineers an economic analysis that ranked OWASA's proposed Cane Creek reservoir eighth of 11 possible water sources and the Haw River first; OWASA's own studies had put Cane Creek first. The Corps had hired the firm because its cost figures and OWASA's differed while it weighed OWASA's dredge-and-fill permit. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, April 26, 1979, p. 1
  12. Cane Creek landowners appeal the state ruling that lets OWASA condemn their land The Cane Creek Conservation Authority, whose members own much of the 758-acre reservoir site, filed an appeal in Wake County Superior Court against the Environmental Management Commission's decision giving the Orange Water and Sewer Authority condemnation rights at the Cane Creek dam site. The hearing was later set for December 17, and OWASA agreed to give the owners a week to ten days' notice before starting any condemnation. Place: Wake County Superior Court, RaleighThe Daily Tar Heel, September 25, 1979, p. 1
  13. OWASA agrees to buy 218 acres beside the Cane Creek reservoir site The Orange Water and Sewer Authority approved buying 218 acres on State Road 1101, a quarter mile east of the proposed Cane Creek reservoir, from the estate of Dr. Rainey Stanford for $152,000, its first land purchase for the project. Executive director Everett Billingsley said the land would serve as wildlife mitigation land and for trades with owners whose farms the reservoir would take; OWASA still had to acquire 758 acres inside the project area. Place: State Road 1101, Orange Grove community, Orange County · Also named: Everett BillingsleyThe Daily Tar Heel, December 4, 1979, p. 2
  14. Teer Farms sues to block OWASA's purchase of land near Cane Creek Teer Farms, Inc., whose land bordered the tract on two sides, sued Central Carolina Bank, executor of the Stanford estate, in Orange County Superior Court to stop the sale of the 218 acres to OWASA. Mike Teer, a company officer and president of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, said his family had been the only bidder, at $125,000, at a November 10 auction and had paid a $25,000 deposit before the bank refused the contract on November 20; OWASA's Everett Billingsley said the authority bought on the open market after no acceptable bid was made. Place: Orange County Superior Court, Hillsborough · Also named: Mike Teer, Everett BillingsleyThe Daily Tar Heel, December 7, 1979, p. 2
  15. Wake County judge upholds OWASA's power to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir On February 8, 1980, Wake County Superior Court Judge D. B. Herring upheld the state Environmental Management Commission's 1979 decision giving the Orange Water and Sewer Authority power to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir, though he said he would not have ruled for OWASA had he sat on the commission. The Cane Creek Conservation Authority, the landowners fighting the reservoir, gave notice of appeal; OWASA needed 758 acres and had hired a negotiator to begin buying land. Place: Wake County Superior Court, Raleigh; Cane Creek, Orange County · Also named: D. B. HerringThe Daily Tar Heel, February 12, 1980, p. 2
  16. OWASA adopts a budget with $265,000 for the Cane Creek Reservoir The Orange Water and Sewer Authority approved a 1980-81 budget of more than $5 million that included $265,000 for the Cane Creek Reservoir from a trust the University had set up, and planned to start the dam in 1981 if the Army Corps of Engineers granted its permits. About $2.3 million went into a $24 million special projects fund for Cane Creek, the Mason Farm treatment plant, sludge disposal and sewer extensions to septic-tank areas. Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Mason Farm, Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, July 3, 1980, p. 5
  17. The Chapel Hill Town Council endorses OWASA's Cane Creek Reservoir Ahead of the Army Corps of Engineers hearings, the council formally endorsed the proposed 3-billion-gallon reservoir, citing the draft environmental impact statement's finding that Cane Creek would give purer water than the Haw River or B. Everett Jordan Lake. The same night it approved the Phase IV plan for North Forest Hills over Piney Mountain Road neighbors' protests, with R. D. Smith and Bill Thorpe opposed, and put off acting on the town's ban on drive-in windows. People: Bill Thorpe, R. D. Smith Place: Municipal Building, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1980, p. 1
  18. The Army Corps of Engineers holds Cane Creek hearings as OWASA announces a wildlife mitigation agreement Shortly before the Corps' hearings on the Cane Creek draft environmental impact statement opened at Chapel Hill High School, OWASA announced an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to buy a tract from the Weyerhaeuser Corp. as habitat for displaced wildlife, open to hunters, naturalists and hikers. Former board member Robert Epting led OWASA's case that Cane Creek was the cheapest and cleanest source, while the Cane Creek Conservation Authority argued for Jordan Lake instead. Place: Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill · Also named: Robert EptingThe Daily Tar Heel, September 5, 1980, p. 1
  19. EPA gives conditional approval to the Cane Creek reservoir impact statement In a September 15 letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated the Corps' draft environmental impact statement on OWASA's proposed Cane Creek Reservoir ER-2, meaning significant environmental reservations, and listed 21 points. Among them it asked for a wildlife mitigation plan for expanding University Lake, more attention to the public health effects of drinking impure water, and documentation of industries upstream of Jordan Lake that did not meet pollution standards. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, September 23, 1980, p. 2
  20. OWASA receives the final environmental impact statement on the Cane Creek reservoir The Army Corps of Engineers delivered its final environmental impact statement on the Cane Creek reservoir to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority board, which also discussed buying the American Stone quarry west of Carrboro before its lease-purchase option ran out. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, April 30, 1981, p. 2
  21. Army Corps of Engineers issues the federal permit for the Cane Creek dam The Corps' district engineer issued OWASA a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit to place fill for the dam on the same day the Court of Appeals voided the state certificate. The permit was set to expire on August 31, 1982 unless construction had begun. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyCaselaw Access Project: Cane Creek Conservation Authority v. Orange Water and Sewer Authority, 590 F. Supp. 1123 (M.D.N.C. 1984) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, July 30, 1981, p. 2
  22. Court of Appeals throws out the state's approval of the Cane Creek project On appeal by the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, several landowners and Teer Farms, the N.C. Court of Appeals vacated the commission's certificate, which Wake County Superior Court had upheld on March 5, 1980. It held that the decision needed an environmental impact statement under the state Environmental Policy Act and a review of the whole record, and sent the case back to the commission. Place: RaleighCaselaw Access Project: In re Appeal from Environmental Management Commission, 53 N.C. App. 135 (1981) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, July 30, 1981, p. 2; The Daily Tar Heel, February 18, 1982, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, September 21, 1982, p. 3
  23. OWASA votes 7 to 1 to accept the federal permit for the Cane Creek dam The OWASA board voted 7 to 1 to accept the Army Corps of Engineers permit for a dam on Cane Creek in Bingham Township, a reservoir yielding 10 million gallons a day that would flood 480 acres. Board member Eddie Mann, the county's appointee from the Cane Creek area, cast the lone no vote. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Chapel Hill · Also named: Eddie MannThe Daily Tar Heel, July 30, 1981, p. 2
  24. OWASA raises water and sewer rates 13 percent to pay for Cane Creek and a rebuilt sewage plant At its annual meeting in the Carrboro Town Hall on September 17, 1981, the OWASA board approved a 13 percent water and sewer rate increase effective January 1, 1982, part of a plan to cover $26 million in capital work over four years, chiefly the Cane Creek reservoir and rebuilding the wastewater treatment plant. A household using 1,000 gallons or less would pay $7.99 instead of $7.04, and large users 19 percent more. The board also elected Betty Sanders chair. Place: Carrboro Town Hall, Carrboro · Also named: Betty SandersThe Daily Tar Heel, September 21, 1981, p. 5
  25. The state tells OWASA to hold sewer extensions until its new treatment plant is done By September 1981 the state had written OWASA restricting extensions of the sewer system until the new wastewater plant on Mason Farm Road, due by July 1, 1983, was finished; OWASA chairman David Moreau said it contradicted the existing agreement. Place: Chapel Hill and Carrboro · Also named: David MoreauThe Daily Tar Heel, September 10, 1981, p. 3
  26. State closes comments on the Cane Creek reservoir draft impact statement On June 1, 1982, the state Division of Environmental Management received the last responses to its draft environmental impact statement on OWASA's proposed 758-acre Cane Creek reservoir, which made no choice among water sources. Chapel Hill's mayor, the Triangle J Council of Governments and the Orange County commissioners backed Cane Creek as the cleanest source, while the Cane Creek Conservation Authority argued that Jordan Lake, the Haw River or a higher University Lake dam would do as well. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham TownshipThe Daily Tar Heel, June 3, 1982, p. 5
  27. OWASA receives the state's environmental impact statement on the Cane Creek reservoir In late August 1982 the Orange Water and Sewer Authority received the environmental impact statement on the Cane Creek reservoir prepared by the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, which the courts had required before the Environmental Management Commission could again grant condemnation rights. It rated Cane Creek, at an estimated $16.3 million, best of the alternatives (the Haw River, Jordan Lake and an enlarged University Lake) for water quality and cost while finding some unavoidable harm to the area, and a public hearing was set for October 11 at the Community Church on Purefoy Road. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, September 21, 1982, p. 3
  28. Opponents sue in federal court, arguing the dam permit has lapsed The Cane Creek Conservation Authority filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming OWASA's Corps permit expired on August 31, 1982 because no fill had actually been placed at the site. OWASA said its preliminary work before the deadline kept the permit valid. People: Sam Crawford Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: Fights on to stop OWASA dam, October 20, 1982
  29. A state hearing on condemnation rights for the Cane Creek reservoir is held in Chapel Hill The state Environmental Management Commission held a week-long public hearing at the Community Church on Purefoy Road on whether to give OWASA power to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir, which it needed because it could not buy a dairy farm at the site. Mayor Joe Nassif and UNC's Daniel Okun testified for the reservoir, and the farm family and the Cane Creek Conservation Authority argued against it. Place: Community Church, Purefoy Road, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe Nassif, Daniel OkunThe Daily Tar Heel, December 3, 1982, p. 1
  30. A state hearing officer recommends approving OWASA's Cane Creek reservoir for condemnation rights On January 31, 1983, Virgil McBride, who had presided over the Environmental Management Commission's hearing on the Cane Creek reservoir from November 30 to December 4, 1982, gave the commission his recommendation that it approve the project, whose approval OWASA needed to condemn land it had not been able to buy. McBride found the dam and reservoir consistent with the best use of the state's water resources; the commission set its decision for March 10, and the opponents' attorney said the officer had ignored their evidence. Place: Raleigh · Also named: Virgil McBrideThe Daily Tar Heel, February 4, 1983, p. 4
  31. The Cane Creek Conservation Authority files a second federal suit against the Cane Creek dam permit On February 1, 1983, the Cane Creek Conservation Authority filed a second suit in federal district court against OWASA's planned Cane Creek dam, arguing that the Army Corps of Engineers' 404 permit had never been valid because granting it violated the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Corps' own procedures. Its first suit, filed September 29, 1982, had argued that the permit lapsed when construction did not start by August 31, 1982; neither suit had yet been heard. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, February 4, 1983, p. 4
  32. The state Environmental Management Commission gives OWASA power to condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir On March 10, 1983, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission granted the Orange Water and Sewer Authority condemnation rights to the land needed for the 758-acre Cane Creek reservoir in western Orange County. The Cane Creek Conservation Authority appealed, but on April 11 its lawyer withdrew a motion in Wake County Superior Court for an injunction against the condemnations after Judge James H. Pou Bailey called it premature. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham Township · Also named: James H. Pou BaileyThe Daily Tar Heel, April 13, 1983, p. 2
  33. Superior Court reverses OWASA's permission to condemn Cane Creek land In August 1983 a N.C. Superior Court ruling reversed the state Environmental Management Commission's decision giving the Orange Water and Sewer Authority the right to condemn land for its proposed $16.3 million Cane Creek reservoir, 12 miles west of Chapel Hill. OWASA had bought 25 of the 50 parcels it needed since 1979 against opposition from the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, and director Everett Billingsley expected the commission to restore the right at its October 13 meeting. Place: Cane Creek, Orange County · Also named: Everett Billingsley · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, September 29, 1983, p. 3
  34. Carrboro aldermen back Cane Creek condemnation and an OWASA hookup moratorium On October 11, 1983, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted 3 to 2 for Alderman Steve Rose's resolution urging the state Environmental Management Commission to let OWASA condemn land for the Cane Creek reservoir, and voted unanimously to support OWASA's proposed moratorium on new water connections if it spared developments already holding permits and was tied to the level of University Lake. Rose and Ernie Patterson voted for the resolution and John Boone and Jim White against, while Joyce Garrett's abstention counted as a yes. Place: Carrboro Town Hall, Carrboro · Also named: Steve Rose, Ernie Patterson, John Boone, Jim White, Joyce GarrettThe Daily Tar Heel, October 13, 1983, p. 3
  35. OWASA agrees to buy the Stanford dairy farm at the dam site The same day the commission ruled, OWASA agreed to buy 267 acres of the dam site from dairy farmers William and Joyce Stanford for about $1.28 million, bringing it to 60 percent of the 728 acres it needed. Between 20 and 25 of the 48 affected landowners had sold by then. Place: Cane Creek, Orange County · Also named: William Stanford, Joyce StanfordThe Daily Tar Heel: OWASA buys 60 percent of land needed for Cane Creek reservoir, October 18, 1983 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, February 12, 1980, p. 2
  36. State commission grants OWASA condemnation power for the third time After a second hearing in late 1982, the Environmental Management Commission reissued OWASA's certificate in March 1983, a Wake County Superior Court judge sent it back, and on October 13 the commission reinstated OWASA's power of eminent domain. Mike Teer, by then president of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, said the group would appeal. Place: Raleigh · Also named: Mike TeerThe Daily Tar Heel: OWASA wins Cane Creek right, October 14, 1983
  37. OWASA buys out most of the Cane Creek landowners By April 1986 OWASA owned 48 of the 50 parcels needed for the reservoir, almost all bought through negotiated sales. Sam Crawford recalled an opening offer of $500 an acre that rose to about $3,500 to $3,600, and that his family lost 50 acres, including their biggest field. People: Sam Crawford Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: N.C. Court of Appeals upholds (Valerie Stegall), April 4, 1986
  38. Cane Creek residents file a third appeal against OWASA's condemnation power In late November 1983 the Cane Creek Conservation Authority, representing dairy-farm residents about 12 miles northwest of Chapel Hill, filed its third appeal in eight months against the state Environmental Management Commission's October grant of eminent domain power to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority for the Cane Creek reservoir. Its attorney Ted Corvette argued the project failed six of the seven criteria and was costlier than a pipeline; OWASA, still about 200 acres short of the 758 it needed, said construction had been set to start in six months, and the group also had a suit pending in federal court against OWASA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham Township, Orange County · Also named: Ted Corvette · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, December 2, 1983, p. 3
  39. OWASA board backs a statewide ban on phosphate laundry detergents The Orange Water and Sewer Authority board unanimously supported a Clean Detergent Bill that the state Department of Natural Resources and Community Development would take to the General Assembly, citing nutrients in Jordan Lake: a state study found 59 percent of the lake's phosphates came from sewage plants, half or more of that from detergents. In closed session Executive Director Everett Billingsley told the board OWASA had bought 40 Cane Creek parcels, one of 8.5 acres that week, with 8 to 10 left and condemnation in reserve. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Carrboro · Also named: Everett BillingsleyThe Daily Tar Heel, March 27, 1984, p. 3
  40. Federal court dismisses the opponents' permit suits for lack of standing The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina dismissed the two suits brought by the Cane Creek Conservation Authority and Teer Farms, finding they alleged only a general fear of environmental loss rather than a direct injury. The court noted that OWASA had so far acquired all its land through voluntary purchases. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyCaselaw Access Project: Cane Creek Conservation Authority v. Orange Water and Sewer Authority, 590 F. Supp. 1123 (M.D.N.C. 1984)
  41. OWASA approves buying 120 more acres for the Cane Creek reservoir The Orange Water and Sewer Authority board approved spending more than $200,000 for about 120 acres for its proposed Cane Creek reservoir, about 11 miles west of Carrboro, and authorized executive director W. Everett Billingsley to go on with a $70,000 design for a temporary cofferdam. OWASA had bought or agreed to buy 683 of the 758 acres needed for the $14.5 million project. Place: Cane Creek, Bingham Township · Also named: W. Everett Billingsley · Also mentions: Orange Water and Sewer AuthorityThe Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1984, p. 4
  42. OWASA sells $11.3 million in bonds for the Cane Creek dam and other projects The Orange Water and Sewer Authority sold $11.3 million in bonds to help pay for a dam and reservoir on Cane Creek, treatment plant improvements and moving lines for Interstate 40 and N.C. 54. That September it proposed a 20 percent rate increase, its first since January 1982, and no one from the public spoke at the hearing. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Carrboro · Also mentions: N.C. 54The Daily Tar Heel, September 20, 1985, p. 2
  43. Cane Creek Conservation Authority members go to the General Assembly to oppose an OWASA bill Fifteen members of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority traveled to the legislature to oppose a bill OWASA sought to settle its outstanding court cases and widen its authority. People: Sam Crawford Place: North Carolina General AssemblySearch the index · Documenting the American South: Oral history interview with Sam Crawford, October 26, 1985 (K-0006)
  44. OWASA builds a temporary impoundment on Cane Creek During a water shortage OWASA built a temporary impoundment at the Cane Creek site as an emergency water source, while the permanent dam was still being designed. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: Amy Weisner on the Cane Creek Reservoir, April 13, 1988
  45. Court of Appeals upholds OWASA's right to condemn the Teer land The N.C. Court of Appeals affirmed the commission's 1983 certificate against an appeal by the Cane Creek Conservation Authority and Teer Farms, ruling among other points that water quality was a proper factor. The Daily Tar Heel reported that the case turned on two parcels owned by dairy farmer Thomas Teer, the last two of the 50 parcels OWASA needed. Place: Raleigh · Also named: Thomas TeerCaselaw Access Project: In re Appeal from Environmental Management Commission, 80 N.C. App. 1 (1986) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, April 4, 1986, p. 4
  46. OWASA issues $10.5 million in revenue bonds for the Cane Creek reservoir OWASA issued $10,545,000 in water and sewer revenue bonds, to be repaid over 30 years, to pay for the Cane Creek reservoir, with the rest of the cost to come from higher water and sewer rates. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, CarrboroThe Daily Tar Heel, January 26, 1987, p. 6
  47. Chapel Hill Town Council and the OWASA board meet jointly on the water supply Meeting jointly after the summer drought, OWASA told the Town Council that University Lake was too small for the community, that bids for the permanent Cane Creek dam were being advertised with construction to start in January and take at least three years, and that water from Lake Butner piped through the Durham line could bring the supply to about nine million gallons a day. OWASA's director called Jordan Lake a costly source and said OWASA should be a service provider, not a judge of where growth goes. People: Jonathan Howes, R. D. Smith Place: Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, September 24, 1986, p. 1
  48. OWASA's board approves a 5 percent water and sewer rate increase for Cane Creek OWASA's board voted 6 to 0 on September 25, 1986 to approve a 5 percent water and sewer rate increase, effective Jan. 1, 1987, to help pay the bonds for the Cane Creek reservoir. It followed a 22 percent increase that took effect at the start of 1986. Place: Orange Water and Sewer Authority, CarrboroThe Daily Tar Heel, January 26, 1987, p. 6 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, September 29, 1986, p. 1
  49. OWASA awards the $11.7 million contract to build the Cane Creek dam OWASA awarded the $11,733,815 contract to build the Cane Creek dam, clear the reservoir site and build the raw water pumping station to Gilbert Corporation of Delaware, along with a $385,873 electrical contract to Via Electric Company of Madison. The reservoir, 12 miles west of Carrboro on N.C. 54, was to hold 3 billion gallons behind an earthen dam 72 feet high. Place: Cane Creek, west of Carrboro, Orange County · Also mentions: N.C. 54The Daily Tar Heel, January 26, 1987, p. 6
  50. OWASA breaks ground for the Cane Creek dam OWASA held a groundbreaking for the Cane Creek Reservoir, designed by Hazen and Sawyer: a 72-foot-high, 1,350-foot earthen dam on a 760-acre site, with a 480-acre lake holding 3 billion gallons. Completion was scheduled for June 1989. Place: Cane Creek, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel: Scott Greig on the Cane Creek groundbreaking, January 26, 1987 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, April 13, 1988, p. 3
  51. Cane Creek Reservoir construction passes the halfway mark OWASA said work on the Cane Creek dam and reservoir was about 55 percent done and slightly ahead of the June 27, 1989, completion date; the three-billion-gallon reservoir would give OWASA five times its storage capacity. Place: Cane Creek Reservoir, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, April 13, 1988, p. 3
  52. Cane Creek Reservoir is filled OWASA completed and filled the reservoir on Cane Creek west of Carrboro, adding roughly three billion gallons of storage drawn from a 32 square mile drainage area. Before it came online OWASA's estimated dependable yield was about two million gallons a day, and the 1980s had brought repeated mandatory restrictions and purchases of water from neighboring utilities. Place: CarrboroOrange Water and Sewer Authority: Asset Management Plan, FY2020 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, March 1, 1989, p. 4; The Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1989, p. 3
  53. Winter rains refill University Lake and raise the new Cane Creek Reservoir After a dry January, rains brought University Lake from 24.5 inches below normal on February 18 to 6.75 inches over its spillway by February 22 and filled the American Stone Quarry, and the new Cane Creek Reservoir, to hold 3 billion gallons and become OWASA's main supply, rose from 378 inches below capacity on February 10 to 192 inches below on February 27, its pipeline to the treatment plant still out for bids. Place: Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake, Orange CountyThe Daily Tar Heel, March 1, 1989, p. 4

Indexed works

Related works found in catalogs and archives across North Carolina. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it.

Filter these works by material, period, or place. Counts refer to works, not individual copies. A work may appear under more than one period or place.

Material

Biography 6Interviews 6Statistics 1

Period

20th century 1

Place

North Carolina (statewide) 24Orange County 24Cane Creek 21Chapel Hill 3Alamance County (neighboring) 1University Lake 1

Oral history interview with Nancy Holt, October 27, 1985: interview K-0010, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Holt, Nancy · 2007 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Raised in Orange County's Cane Creek community, Nancy Holt became one of its organizers when the Orange Water and Sewer Authority planned a reservoir there. Interviewed alongside Brian Holt by Frances E. Webb in October 1985, she describes farm life, the school and church that held the community together, how scattered neighbors cooperated, and the environmental and social costs residents expected from the reservoir. Runs about two and a half hours; electronic edition from the UNC library, 2007, through Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Oral history interview with Sam Crawford, October 26, 1985: interview K-0006, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Crawford, Sam · 2007 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Sam Crawford (born 1949) helped found Cane Creek Conservation Authority, the residents' group formed in 1975 to fight plans by OWASA, the Chapel Hill area's water utility, for a reservoir on Cane Creek in rural Orange County. In this October 1985 interview with Judith Wheeler, joined by Patty Crawford, he recounts how residents learned of the plan and organized, and the environmental and water-supply arguments on each side. A little over two hours; electronic edition from the UNC library, 2007, through Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Oral history interview with Bobby Kirk, October 28, 1985: Interview K-0013, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Kirk, Bobby · 2005 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Dairy farmer Bobby Kirk, who led the conservation authority formed at Cane Creek, describes the fight against the Cane Creek Reservoir, proposed for southwestern Orange County. In this Southern Oral History Program interview, recorded October 28, 1985, by K. Campbell, Kirk explains why he and neighboring farmers opposed the project, how residents first organized against it, and his view that the reservoir was badly planned. Just over an hour long. Published online in 2005 by the UNC-Chapel Hill Library in Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the NC Cardinal record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Oral history interview with Dr. Daniel Okun, October 22, 1985: Interview K-0021, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Okun, Daniel Alexander · 2004 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

The case for the Cane Creek Reservoir, made by Daniel A. Okun, professor of environmental engineering at UNC, in a Southern Oral History Program interview recorded October 22, 1985, by Laura Drey. Okun sets out why a new reservoir was needed in Orange County and answers the Cane Creek farmers' objections on water quality and watershed management. It pairs with interviews of opponents Bobby Kirk and Edward S. Johnson. Published online in 2004 by the UNC-Chapel Hill Library in Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Oral history interview with Edward S. Johnson, October 28, 1985: Interview K-0012, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Johnson, Edward S. · 2004 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Edward S. Johnson (1933-2022) recounts the organized effort to stop OWASA, the Orange County water utility, from damming Cane Creek for a reservoir, in a 40-minute Southern Oral History Program interview recorded October 28, 1985, by Patricia E. Sloan. Johnson describes how neighbors came together into a coherent opposition, the questions of eminent domain raised by the taking of farmland, and the environmental review of the project. Published online in 2004 by the UNC-Chapel Hill Library in Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Oral history interview with Joe Herzenberg, November 18, 1985: Interview K-0008. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Herzenberg, Joseph A. · 2004 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Joseph A. Herzenberg (1941-2007), later a Chapel Hill Town Council member, was interviewed by Mary Dexter in November 1985 about the Cane Creek reservoir fight. OWASA, the water and sewer utility serving Chapel Hill, proposed damming Cane Creek in rural Orange County, and residents there organized against it. Herzenberg supports the reservoir and discusses the local politics and water-supply questions behind the dispute. About an hour and a half; electronic edition from the UNC library, 2004, through Documenting the American South.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC
Show 6 more

Optimization of the operation of a multiple reservoir system using 0,1 mixed integer programming

Speight, Vanessa · 1994

Vanessa Speight's master's report in environmental engineering, submitted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994 and approved by Donald T. Lauria, Donald E. Francisco and Philip C. Singer. It applies 0,1 mixed integer programming to the operation of a multiple reservoir system, with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's reservoirs in Orange County as the case, on water supply and theoretical models.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Reservoirs -- North Carolina -- Orange County.

UNC

Comments on North Carolina Division of Environmental Management's environmental impact statement for Cane Creek water supply reservoir

Orange Water and Sewer Authority · 1982 · OWASA

The Orange Water and Sewer Authority's formal comments on the state Division of Environmental Management's environmental impact statement for the Cane Creek reservoir, the water supply built in western Orange County. Transmitted under a letter dated June 1, 1982, the volume covers reservoirs, water supply and water quality management in the county, with maps. Published by OWASA in Carrboro, one volume in various pagings.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

UNC

Draft Cane Creek EIS

1982

A draft environmental impact statement from 1982 on the Cane Creek Reservoir, the water-supply impoundment proposed for Cane Creek in southwestern Orange County near the Alamance line. Prepared by the Division of Environmental Management of the state Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, it runs 144 pages in various pagings with illustrations, maps, bibliographies and an index. Topics include reservoirs, water supply and environmental impact analysis for Orange County.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

NC Cardinal UNC

Final environmental impact statement : Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Cane Creek Water Supply Reservoir, Orange County, NC

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District · 1981 · The Corps

Final environmental impact statement prepared by the Wilmington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's Cane Creek water supply reservoir in western Orange County. Topics include the environmental aspects of reservoirs in the county and the Cane Creek Reservoir itself, built to supply Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Published by the Corps in Wilmington, 1981, one volume in various pagings with illustrations and a bibliography.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

UNC

Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Cane Creek water supply reservoir, Orange County, NC: final environmental impact statement

1981 · The District

Final environmental impact statement for the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's Cane Creek water supply reservoir in Orange County, issued in 1981. Covering reservoirs and their environmental aspects in Orange County, it documents the environmental review of the proposed reservoir. One volume in various pagings with maps, filed in an environmental impact statement microfiche collection.

Included because: Catalog heading in the NC State record: Reservoirs -- Environmental aspects -- North Carolina -- Orange County.

NC Cardinal NC State

Environmental impact statement : Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Cane Creek Water Supply Reservoir, Orange County, NC : draft

1980 · Regulatory Functions Branch, US Army Corps of Engineers

The draft environmental impact statement of June 1980 for the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's Cane Creek water supply reservoir in Orange County, prepared by the Regulatory Functions Branch of the Army Corps of Engineers in Wilmington. Topics include reservoirs and their environmental aspects in Orange County and water supply. Nine pages of front matter and 262 pages of text with illustrations and maps.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.).

UNC

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Picture: Fishing on Cane Creek Reservoir. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photograph by Larry Lamb; via Wikimedia Commons

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