Lake Orange, Inc.
Established 1967
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Water quality on Lake Orange will become a major focus of Lake Orange, Inc. going forward. Protecting the qualty of Lake Orange is important for the lake users, downstream drinking water users, and surrounding property owners alike.
NC DEQ is a key player in the regulation of the water quality on Lake Orange. Lake Orange is a drinking water reservoir situated in a watershed classified as WS-II, which automatically carries the HQW (High-Quality Waters) supplemental designation. Both the WS-II classification and the HQW supplemental designation give NCDEQ significant regulatory authority over Lake Orange and the surrounding water-supply watershed.
More information may be found on the NCDEQ Websites:
Other lakes in North Carolina allowing for extensive recreation are not typically classified as WS-II. For example, well-known WS-IV lakes such as Jordan Lake or Lake Norman allow for intensive recreation use, including swimming. The WS-IV classification also allow for much higher density development and for industrial uses such as the discharge of treated wastewater.
The infrastructure required to treat drinking water is designed, constructed, and operated within the context of the watershed classification. Lower level water supply watershed classifications (WS-I and WS-II) mean that less complex treatment equipment and less involved processes are required to create finished water. Increasing a water supply classification would be a major regulatory undertaking that would impact all downstream treatment facilities.
A WS-II lake such as Lake Orange is managed as a "pristine" resource, prioritizing its role as a clean drinking water source over industrial uses, high-density residential growth, and recreation. Managed recreation is sometimes compatible with WS-II classification, typically in a secondary, "non-body-contact" fashion (no swimming). Recreation in a reservoir is additionally governed by the NC Commission for Public Health. Their role is to ensure that if a lake is being used for recreation, that recreation does not compromise the quality of the water. The 1970 Resolution on the Key Public Documents page provides this permission for recreation, subject to regulation by NCDEQ.
NC DEQ provides an online GIS mapping tool that was used to generate the following maps.
A map of water supply watershed classifications in Orange County, NC. Lake Orange sits in a WS-II Protected Area.
A map of NC water supply watershed classifications . The orange areas indicate WS-II classification. Note that Orange County has the largest concentration of WS-I or WS-II water supply watersheds in the entire state.
Learn about Water Testing on Lake Orange
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