CHESTER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

Drought Management Plan

Drought Response Policy

Adopted

July 18, 2007
Chester Metropolitan District

Model Drought Management Plan

and Response Policy

(Provided by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as required by

the South Carolina Drought Response Act of 2000.)

INDEX:

Section I: Declaration of Purpose and Intent

Section II: Definition of Terms

Section III: Drought Management Plan

A. Introduction

B. Designation of Water System Drought Response Representative

C. Description of Water System Layout, Water Sources, Capacities and Yields

D. Identification of Water System Specific Drought or Water Shortage Indicators

E. Cooperative Agreements and Alternative Water Supply Sources

F. Description of Pre-Drought Planning Efforts

G. Description of Capital Planning and Investment for System Reliability and Demand Forecasting

Section IV: Drought Response Policy

A. Declaration of Policy and Authority

B. Definition of Terms

C. Drought Alert: Stage 0 (Drought Watch)

D. Drought Alert: Stage 1 (Voluntary Conservation)

E. Drought Alert: Stage 2 (Mandatory Conservation)

F. Drought Alert: Stage 3 (Increased Mandatory Conservation)

G. Drought Alert: Stage 4 (Emergency Conservation)

H. Other Declared Restrictions

I. Rationing

J. Enforcement of Restrictions

K. Variances

L. Status of the Policy

Drought Management Plan

Section I: - Declaration of Purpose and Intent

The Chester Metropolitan District understands the fundamental need to make efficient use of the limited and valuable water resource under its stewardship in order to protect the public’s health and safety and environmental integrity. The purpose of this document is to establish a plan and procedures for managing water demand and evaluating supply options before and during a drought-related water shortage. The intent is to satisfy the requirements of the Drought Response Act of 2000 (Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, Section 49-23-10, et seq., as amended), and the Low Inflow Protocol for the Catawba-Wateree Project, which is attached hereto as Exhibit A, with the goal of achieving the greatest public benefit from domestic water use, sanitation, and fire protection and to provide water for other purposes in an equitable manner. Therefore, the Chester Metropolitan District has adopted this Drought Management Plan and Drought Response Policy that provide the policies and the authority to fulfill this obligation. The Drought Management Plan outlines the framework by which Chester Metropolitan District will internally prepare for water shortages. The Policy provides the regulations by which the Chester Metropolitan District will manage and control its customer water usage during various levels of a drought.

Section II: Definition of Terms

For the purposes of this Plan and the accompanying Policy, the following definitions will apply:

Aesthetic Water Use: Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains, reflecting pools and waterfalls.

Commercial and Industrial Use: Water use integral to the production of goods and/or services by any establishment having profit as its primary aim.

Conservation: Reduction in water use to prevent depletion or waste of the resource.

Customer: Any person, company or organization using finished water owned or supplied by the Chester Metropolitan District, Chester County, South Carolina.

Domestic Water Use: Water use for personal needs or for household purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking, sanitation or for cleaning a residence, business, industry or institution.

Drought Alert Phases: There are drought alert phases to be determined by the Drought Response Committee for the State of South Carolina and the Low Inflow Protocol. The Stages in this Chapter are based upon the Low Inflow Protocol. The Drought Response Committee phases and correlating Stages in this Chapter are:

1) Incipient Drought - Stage 0 and Stage 1

2) Moderate Drought – Stage 2

3) Severe Drought - Stage 3

4) Extreme Drought – Stage 4

Drought Response Management Areas: There are four drought management areas corresponding to the major river basins in South Carolina. The four areas are:

1) West or Savannah

2) Central or Santee

3) Northeast or Pee Dee

4) Southern or Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto.

Chester County is included in the 18-county Central or Santee Response Management Area. In order to prevent overly broad response to drought conditions, drought response measures shall be considered within individual drought management areas or within individual counties, as applicable.

Drought Response Committee: A committee composed of State and local representatives created for the purpose of coordinating responses to water supply shortages within Drought Management Areas and making recommendations for action to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and/or the Governor. The Committee is composed of State agency representatives from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division of the Office of the Adjutant General, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, South Carolina Department of Agriculture, South Carolina Forestry Commission, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, as well as local committees representing counties, municipalities, public service districts, private water suppliers, agriculture, industry, domestic users, regional councils of government, commissions of public works, power generation facilities, special purpose districts and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Essential Water Use: Water used specifically for fire fighting, maintaining in-stream flow requirements and to satisfy Federal, State or local public health and safety requirements.

Finished Water: Water distributed for use after treatment. The terms “water use,” “water user,” and “water customer” refer to finished water use unless otherwise defined.

Institutional Water Use: Water used by government, public and private educational institutions, churches and places of worship, water utilities, and organizations within the public domain.

Irrigation or Landscape Water Use: Water used to maintain gardens, trees, lawns, shrubs, flowers, athletic fields, rights-of-way and medians.

Non-essential Water Use: Categories of water use other than Essential Water Use. Examples of non-essential water use include landscape irrigation and the washing of buildings, parking lots, automobiles, etc.

Low Inflow Protocol for the Catawba-Wateree Project: This is a water conservation plan, as amended, setting forth trigger points, procedures and water withdrawal reduction measures during periods of low inflow for water withdrawers along the Catawba River, including Chester County and the Chester Metropolitan District.

Residential Equivalent Unit (REU): An equivalency unit defined to be equal to one household. The Chester Metropolitan District’s allocated water capacity equals 400 gallons per day per REU.

SC Dept. of Natural Resources: The State agency with primacy to implement the provisions of the Drought Response Act.

Water Supply Shortage: Lack of adequate, available water caused by drought to meet normal demands.

Section III: Drought Management Plan

A. Introduction

To ensure that the Chester Metropolitan District adequately manages its water system during drought-related conditions, an organized plan is necessary for system operation and reliability, proper communications, effective coordination and ultimate allocation of water use. Prior planning will compliment the Chester Metropolitan District’s ability to respond to drought conditions and to enforce the related Policy.

B. Designation of Water System Drought Response Representative

Administrating a Drought Plan requires the skills needed to undertake a comprehensive public information program and the judgment required to deal with equity issues arising from enforcement of a mandatory program. Someone who has these skills will be selected by the water system to manage the water system’s program and serve as the principal contact for the news media as the water system’s Drought Response Representative. The Drought Response Representative for Chester Metropolitan District is Mike Medlin, P.O. Box 550 Chester, SC 29706. (803)385-5123. E-Mail Address is MMedlin@truvista.net.

C. Description of Water System Layout, Water Sources, Capacities and Yields

The Chester Metropolitan District is located in the Central Drought Response Management Area of South Carolina. The system serves: 6400 taps and a population of about 15,000 people. The service area runs from the Chester Metropolitan District water filtration plant on the Catawba River on the eastern side of the county, then west on Hwy. #9 through the Town of Richburg for approximately 24 miles to Chester, SC. The District also serves south from the intersection of Hwy. #9 and #99 approximately 15 miles to the Town of Great Falls. The District serves the Mitford Rural Water System from a master meter located on the County line in Great Falls. The District also serves the Lando area north of #9 on 901. The Chester Metropolitan District has a 7.2 mgd Water Filtration Plant. A 30 in. main runs west along #9 for approximately 8 miles to the intersection of #9 and #99. A 16 inch water line runs south on #99 to serve Great Falls and the Mitford Rural Water System. A 24 inch line runs west along #9 through Richburg to Chester and ties in to a 20 inch line that loops around Chester on the J.A. Cochran By-Pass. There are 7 elevated water storage tanks with a combined capacity of 3.75 million gallons of elevated storage. The only water supply available to the system is the Catawba River at the Hwy. #9 bridge.

D. Identification of Water System Specific Drought or Water Shortage Indicators

Operators of every water system must develop historical trends that are valuable indicators of a system’s ability to meet demand when demand begins to outpace supply. Drought declaration is determined by 1.) specific indices set forth in the Low Inflow Protocol and 2.) the State of South Carolina’s Drought Response Committee. With input from the SC Department of Natural Resources, the Chester Metropolitan District has incorporated the Drought Alert Phases into the five stages set forth in the Drought Response Policy. The five stages in the Drought Response Policy derive from the Low Inflow Protocol. In the event that the State of South Carolina (including the Drought Response Committee) imposes stricter drought response criteria, the Drought Response Representative will elevate the stage classification to comply with State law.

E. Cooperative Agreements and Alternative Water Supply Sources:

Successful drought management requires a comprehensive program by the water utility. In many situations administrative agreements are required with other agencies to fully implement the Plan. Agreements with other water purveyors may be necessary for alternative water supply sources. Other agreements that strengthen conservation efforts by large users may be necessary. The Chester Metropolitan District identifies the following agreements that are in place to facilitate the implementation of this Plan:

(1) All water purchase contracts explicitly cover provisions regarding drought and water shortage conditions.

(2) Comprehensive Relicensing Agreement for the Catawba Hydro Project dated August 12, 2006 between Duke Energy, and the Chester Metropolitan District, along with numerous water withdrawers and other interested parties (with the Low Inflow Protocol being a part thereof).

F. Description of Pre-Drought Planning Efforts:

Before the occurrence of a water supply shortage and the need to implement the emergency provisions of the Policy, it is important that certain pre-response measures be taken with the aim of conserving the system’s source water, as well as the water distributed to the customer. In regards to the conservation measures listed below, the Chester Metropolitan District has taken the following actions:

1. On an annual basis, the Chester Metropolitan District will identify the top 10% of the system’s major water users, including industrial and wholesale customers. As major water consumers, the Chester Metropolitan District will strongly encourage these customers to enter into conservation agreements and/or voluntarily reduce water consumption by specified percentages as deemed necessary based on the declared drought status. As of June 2007, the Chester Metropolitan District’s top ten water users , based on consumption, are listed in descending order below:

(a) Mitford Rural Water District

(b) Chester Wood Products

(d) Allvac

(e) Guardian Industries

(f) Omnova Solutions

(g) Specialty Polymers, Inc.

(h) Chester Regional Medical Center (Hospital)

(i) CoAtex, LLC

(j) G.A.F. Materials Corporation

2. A vigorous public education program is critical for achieving substantial water use reductions. An effective public outreach program will keep the public informed about the water supply situation, what actions will mitigate drought emergency problems, and how well the public is doing in terms of meeting the program goals. Keeping the public involved, informed, and participating in the decision-making process is key to implementing an effective Drought Management Plan. Chester Metropolitan District’s efforts to develop an effective drought-related public education program include: A Bi-Annual newsletter to all of our customers. We also have the ability to notify our customers on their water bills each month. The Chester Metropolitan District also uses local newspaper media to print articles or run ad’s to keep the public informed of current water situations and conservation requirements.

3. Drought mitigation should be considered on a regional level. Staying informed about regional drought issues affecting neighboring communities will help the Chester Metropolitan District better prepare in the event of a severe to extreme drought. The Chester Metropolitan District will communicate and coordinate with Duke Energy, the Departments of Natural Resources in both South Carolina and North Carolina, the State Drought Response Committee, public water utilities sharing the District’s water source both upstream and downstream and other local, state and federal agencies to effectively respond to and manage drought mitigation.

4. The Chester Metropolitan District’s Drought Response Committee may implement a citizens’ task force consisting of residents and business representatives from the community to meet on an as-needed basis to discuss current drought conditions, assess conservation/drought management program goals and results and make recommendations to improve the District’s water conservation and drought management efforts. The following issues will be addressed in the water conservation plan:

a. Awareness of conservation through public education.

b. Regulatory mandates that affect capital investment in future treatment and distribution improvements.

c. Methods, technologies & incentives that aid water conservation goals.

G. Description of Capital Planning and Investment for System Reliability and Demand Forecasting

Water utilities routinely find that capital improvements to the system strongly enhance their ability to get through times of drought. It is important that every water utility aggressively plan and build for future needs. The utility must continue to provide for system operation flexibility, improved pumping and storage capacity and new technologies to meet the demands of tomorrow. Describe the utility’s capital improvement program and how past efforts have enhanced your system’s ability to meet demand during drought conditions: The Chester Metropolitan District has diligently worked to reduce unaccounted for water throughout the water system and inefficiencies at the water filtration plant. Over the past 12 years the District has replaced approximately 75% of its old and antiquated waterlines. Additionally, the District has upgraded the water filtration plant to reduce or eliminate leaking valves, replaced all sand filters and added air scouring to significantly reduce the amount of backwash water used to clean these filters. The District has also constructed a new 750,000 gallon elevated storage tank in the Richburg area.

The Chester Metropolitan District has discussed and conducted a PER for a future waterline tie-in with the City of Rock Hill.

Section IV: Drought Response Policy

A. Declaration of Policy and Authority: The objective of this Drought Response Policy is to establish authority, policy and procedure by which the Chester Metropolitan District will take the proper actions to manage water demand during a drought-related shortage. The Policy satisfies the requirements of the Drought Response Act of 2000 and the Low Inflow Protocol for the Catawba-Wateree Project .The Policy satisfies the requirements of the Drought Response Act of 2000 and has the goal of achieving the greatest public benefit from limited supplies of water needed for domestic water use, sanitation, and fire protection and of allocating water for other purposes in an equitable manner.

This Policy outlines the actions to be taken for the conservation of water supplied by the Chester Metropolitan District. These actions are directed both towards an overall reduction in water usage and the optimization of supply.

To satisfy these goals, the Chester Metropolitan District hereby adopts the following regulations and restrictions on the delivery and consumption of water. This Policy is hereby declared necessary for the protection of public health, safety and welfare and shall take effect upon its adoption by the Chester Metropolitan District.

If it becomes necessary to conserve water in its service area due to drought, the Chester Metropolitan District is authorized to issue a proclamation (a “Proclamation”) that existing conditions prevent fulfillment of the usual water-use demands. The Proclamation is an attempt to prevent depleting the water supply to the extent that water-use for human consumption, sanitation, fire protection, and other essential needs becomes endangered.

Immediately upon issuance of such a Proclamation, regulations and restrictions set forth under this Policy shall become effective and remain in effect until the water supply shortage has ended and the Proclamation rescinded.

Water uses that are regulated or prohibited under this Policy are considered to be non-essential and continuation of such uses during times of water supply shortages is deemed to constitute a waste of water, subjecting the offender(s) to penalties.

The amended Drought Management Plan and Policy dated July 2007 is hereby approved.

The Chester Metropolitan District’s Drought Response Representative will be responsible for assessing drought or water shortage indicators as identified in the Drought Management Plan.

B. Definition of Terms.

For the purposes of this Policy, the following definitions will apply:

Aesthetic Water Use: Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains, reflecting pools and waterfalls.

Commercial and Industrial Use: Water use integral to the production of goods and/or services by any establishment having profit as its primary aim.

Conservation: Reduction in water use to prevent depletion or waste of the resource.

Customer: Any person, company or organization using finished water owned or supplied by the Chester Metropolitan District, Chester, South Carolina.

CW-DMAG: The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group as established and identified in the Low Inflow Protocol.

Domestic Water Use: Water use for personal needs or for household purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking, sanitation or for cleaning a residence, business, industry or institution.

Drought Management Plan: A plan and procedures adopted by The District Board of Commissioners, as amended, for managing water demand and evaluating supply options before and during a drought-related water shortage.

Drought Alert Phases/Stages: There are drought alert phases to be determined by the Drought Response Committee for the State of South Carolina and the Low Inflow Protocol. The Stages in this Chapter are based upon the Low Inflow Protocol. The Drought Response Committee phases and correlating Stages in this Chapter are:

1) Incipient Drought - Stage 0 and Stage 1

2) Moderate Drought – Stage 2

3) Severe Drought - Stage 3

4) Extreme Drought – Stage 4

Drought Response Management Areas: There are four drought management areas corresponding to the major river basins in South Carolina. The four areas are:

1) West or Savannah

2) Central or Santee

3) Northeast or Pee Dee

4) Southern or Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto.

Response Representative: The Executive Director of the Chester Metropolitan District.

Essential Water Use: Water used specifically for fire fighting, maintaining in-stream flow requirements and to satisfy Federal, State or local public health and safety requirements.

Finished Water: Water distributed for use after treatment. The terms “water use,” “water user,” and “water customer” refer to finished water use unless otherwise defined.

Institutional Water Use: Water used by government, public and private educational institutions, churches and places of worship, water utilities, and organizations within the public domain.

Irrigation or Landscape Water Use: Water used to maintain gardens, trees, lawns, shrubs, flowers, athletic fields, rights-of-way and medians.

Non-essential Water Use: Categories of water use other than Essential Water Use. Examples of non-essential water use include, but are not limited to, landscape irrigation and the washing of buildings, parking lots, and automobiles.

Residential Equivalent Unit (REU): An equivalency unit defined to be equal to one household. The Chester Metropolitan District’s allocated water capacity equals 400 gallons per day per REU.

SC Dept. of Natural Resources: The State agency with primacy to implement the provisions of the Drought Response Act.

Water Supply Shortage: Lack of adequate, available water caused by drought to meet normal demands.

C. Drought Alert: Stage 0 (Drought Watch)

The Chester Metropolitan District’s Drought Response Representative will make a recommendation to the District Board of Commissioners regarding the need for the declaration of a Stage 0 drought watch as identified in the Chester Metropolitan District’s Drought Management Plan. The Drought Response Representative will regularly communicate and coordinate with Duke Energy, the Departments of Natural Resources in both South Carolina and North Carolina, the State Drought Response Committee, public water utilities sharing the District’s water source both upstream and downstream and other local, state and federal agencies to accomplish the following:

1.) Active monitoring of drought conditions;

2.) Review of drought forecasts and reporting information; and

3.) Review of plans for drought management response and mitigation.

During a drought watch, as deemed necessary, the Chester Metropolitan District may encourage customers to consider voluntary water conservation measures in a proactive effort to mitigate potential drought conditions.

D Drought Alert: Stage 1 (Voluntary Conservation)

The Drought Response Representative will make a recommendation to the District Board of Commissioners regarding the need for the declaration of a Stage 1 drought. Upon determination by the District Board of Commissioners that a moderate water supply shortage exists, the District Board of Commissioners will provide written notification to the public of this Stage 1 determination and voluntary reductions in the use of water for all purposes and voluntary reductions on using water during certain peak water demand periods.

Specifically, the goal during this stage is to achieve a reduction in overall water use of 3-5%. To accomplish this, the Chester Metropolitan District will take the following actions:

1) The Board of Commissioners will issue a proclamation to be released to local media, the water customers of the Chester Metropolitan District and to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center that Stage 1 drought conditions are present.

2) Provide written notification to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center and routinely publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the service area of the water system the voluntary conservation measures that the customers are requested to follow during Stage 1 drought conditions. Voluntary measures include:

a. Recommend voluntary reduction of residential water use to a maximum of 350 gallons per household or REU per day;

b. For landscape design & maintenance, the use of low-volume, handheld watering applications is encouraged. Reduce the use of sprinklers, irrigation systems or other remote landscape watering devices to no more than two (2) days per week;

c. Reduce the washing down of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts and other hard surfaced areas;

d. Reduce the washing down of buildings for purposes other than immediate fire protection;

e. Reduce the flushing of gutters;

f. Reduce the domestic washing of motorbikes, boats, automobiles, etc.;

g. Reduce the use of water to maintain fountains, reflection ponds and decorative water bodies for aesthetic or scenic purposes, except where necessary to support aquatic life.

h. Reduce the amount of water obtained from fire hydrants for construction purposes, fire drills or for any purpose other than fire-fighting or flushing necessary to maintain water quality; and

i. Encourage the limitation of normal water use by commercial and individual customers including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) Stop serving water in addition to another beverage routinely in restaurants;

(ii) Stop maintaining water levels in scenic and recreational ponds and lakes, except for the minimum amount required to support aquatic life;

(iii) Cease water service to customers who have been given a 10-day notice to repair one or more leaks and have failed to do so.

3) Intensify maintenance efforts to identify and correct water leaks in the distribution system.

4) Continue to encourage and educate customers to comply with voluntary water conservation.

5) Provide a status update to the CW-DMAG on actual water withdrawal trends

E Drought Alert: Stage 2 (Mandatory Conservation)

The Drought Response Representative will make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners regarding the need for the declaration of a Stage 2 drought. Upon determination by the Board of Commissioners that a severe water supply shortage exists, the Board of Commissioners will provide written notification to the public of this Stage 2 determination and voluntary reductions in the use of water for all purposes and mandatory restrictions on non-essential usage and restrictions on times when certain water use is allowed.

Specifically, the goal during this stage is to achieve a reduction in overall water use of 5-10%. To accomplish these goals, the Chester Metropolitan District will take the following actions:

1) The Board of Commissioners will issue a proclamation to be released to the local news media, the water customers of the Chester Metropolitan District and to the SC Department of Natural Resources' Drought Information Center that Stage 2 drought conditions are present.

2) Provide written notification to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center and routinely publish, in a newspaper of general circulation in the service area of the water system, the mandatory conservation measures and restrictions to be placed on the use of water supplied by the utility. Voluntary and mandatory restrictions include:

a. Recommend voluntary reduction of residential water use to a maximum of 300 gallons per household or REU per day.

b. Discourage obtaining water from fire hydrants for construction purposes, fire drills or any purpose other than fire-fighting or flushing necessary to maintain water quality.

c. Limit use of water by commercial, agricultural and individual customers through mandatory restrictions as directed in the District’s Water Conservation Plan.

d. The Chester Metropolitan District will impose mandatory restrictions on the use of water supplied by the utility for activities including:

(i) For landscape design & maintenance, the use of low-volume, handheld watering applications is encouraged. Limit the use of sprinklers, irrigation systems or other remote landscape watering devices to no more than two (2) days per week, staggering days based on odd and even addresses, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Designated days will be recommended by the District’s Drought Response Representative and approved by the District Board of Commissioners.