| Cane Creek Reservoir | |
|---|---|
| Location | Orange County, North Carolina |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Built | 1989 |
| Surface area | 540 acres (220 ha) |
| Water volume | 1,900,000,000 US gallons (7.2×109 L; 1.6×109 imp gal) |
Cane Creek Reservoir is a reservoir in Orange County, North Carolina serving the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area. It is operated by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA).
Proposals to build a reservoir on Cane Creek were made as the area's population was growing too large to be sustained by University Lake. [1] In the 1950s, Daniel Okun, professor of environmental sciences and engineering at UNC, tasked his students with determining the best potential water source for UNC. They identified Cane Creek as the best source, which as confirmed by an independent engineering consultant. [2]
Several other possible water sources were discussed. One possibility was expanding University Lake by building a larger dam, which was deemed too expensive, or tapping into the Haw River or Jordan Lake which both had inferior water quality. The proposed construction of Cane Creek Reservoir was controversial with locals, who lost homes and farmland when the reservoir was made. [3] [1]
Objections to Cane Creek Reservoir resulted in a "a protracted, statewide discussion". [4] The Cane Creek Conservation Association lobbied to block the reservoir's construction, while OWASA lobbied to build it. [3] Eventually, the courts forced local landowners to sell their land in the watershed under eminent domain, and the reservoir was built. [1] The dam was completed in 1977, [2] and the reservoir was filled in 1989. [5] It is about 11 miles west of Carrboro. [6]
The reservoir is fed by Cane Creek, Tom's Creek, Watery Creek, and Turkey Hill Creek. [1] The Cane Creek Reservoir Dam is 72 feet high. [7] It has an area of 540 acres, [8] and a volume of 2.9 billion gallons. [6] Swimming is not permitted on the lake but boating and fishing are allowed, [9] provided the boats do not use gasoline engines. [10]
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-most populous municipality in the state. Chapel Hill and Durham make up the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 608,879 in 2023. When it's combined with Raleigh, the state capital, they make up the corners of the Research Triangle, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.
Orange County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 148,696. Its county seat is Hillsborough.
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University Lake is a manmade freshwater lake in Carrboro, North Carolina. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill created the lake in 1932 by building two dams, at the confluence of the Morgan Creek, Phil's Creek, Neville Creek, Price Creek, and Pritchard's Mill Creek. Marshes occur where the creeks meet with the lake, and this serves as environment for wildlife such as various species of waterfowl. It was originally built to act as a water reservoir for UNC's campus, and the neighboring communities of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Severe droughts in the 1960s and 1970s lowered the water level, and it soon became necessary for a new reservoir to be built to complement University Lake. It was the sole source of water to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority until the Cane Creek Reservoir was built. The lake is open in the summer for public fishing and recreation. The UNC women's rowing team also trains on the lake.
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority is a nonprofit public utility that provides water and sewage services to the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area. It gets its water from Cane Creek Reservoir, University Lake, and Stone Quarry Reservoir. OWASA has 343 miles of water mains and 294 miles of sewers. Its water is treated at the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant.