Repairing the Weatherhill Pointe Neighborhood

When Tropical Storm Chantal dumped 10 inches of rain on Carrboro July 6, almost seven inches fell between 7:00pm and 8:00pm, taking University Lake a record 93 inches over its spillway.

By 10:00pm downstream, the neighborhood of Weatherhill Pointe was experiencing devastating flooding. On WCOM’s State of the Station co-hosted by The Carrborean and Jacques Menache November 18, residents recounted wading through waist-deep water to be evacuated by the South Orange Rescue Squad in boats. Following the storm, most homes (48 out of 58) were uninhabitable. Since July, the majority of homeowners have been repairing and rebuilding although some have opted to sell “as is.” Many homeowners did not have flood insurance.

Lars Knapp, representing the Weatherhill Pointe community at the Carrboro Town Council meeting October 21, reported concerns about investors buying houses there at a major discount only to flip them, sometimes the same day, selling at a higher price. This practice, while not illegal, takes advantage of desperate residents recovering from a traumatic event who are trying to salvage what they can of their home investment.

Habitat for Humanity, Orange County is helping some residents repair and rebuild. Habitat is a non-profit organization that has built 370 affordable homes in Orange County over the past 41 years and arrived in Weatherhill Pointe three days after the storm. About 15 years ago, they started a home repair program that includes painting, building modifications, making bathrooms accessible, and roof replacement, among other services. The organization receives funding from private donors and philanthropies, government, building supply companies, faith organizations, as well as from the sale of homes they build. Eligibility for repairs is income based; they want to help keep people in their homes, according to Kaitlyn Kopala, Habitat’s communication manager.

They are currently working on seven homes in Weatherhill Pointe and four in the Canterbury neighborhood which was also badly affected by flooding. Although they don’t currently have a “disaster recovery program,” they are learning a lot about how to respond and enhance their processes for home rebuilding as needed in the community, including after a disaster.

Weatherhill Pointe residents think about flood prevention often and have been in dialogue with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) since July 6. OWASA manages University Lake to supply drinking water to communities nearby. OWASA met with Weatherhill Pointe residents at the University Lake dam on November 20 where they stated that OWASA is responsible for the facilities on the Lake, including the dam structure, and manages recreational activities there, too. However, OWASA is not responsible for managing stormwater.

OWASA had planned to provide a tour of the dam but residents redirected the conversation to points that have been foremost in their minds—preventing future floods and ensuring earlier warning for potential floods. The ensuing conversation clarified points of responsibility and explained why conversations about some aspects of prevention, such as an enhanced dam structure, have not progressed.

Since July 6, residents of Weatherhill Pointe have been pressing OWASA to take steps to prevent a future flooding event. At the University Lake meeting, OWASA and the Town of Carrboro said they updated the warning system to lower the amount of water needed to trigger alerts. Will Potter, Carrboro’s Fire Chief and Emergency Manager said they are researching options for new gauges and locations for them along the creeks nearby. There was also discussion about repairing a gauge on Morgan Creek as some residents would like to monitor water levels themselves. But the bigger question of what it would take to improve the dam to hold back a larger volume of water has not been answered due to a complicated network of entities that need to be involved in figuring it out.

OWASA is a non-profit, public utility with a Board of Directors comprising appointed residents of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County. While several neighborhoods downstream of University Lake sit within Carrboro, University Lake has a Chapel Hill address and is located outside of Town in Orange County. The University of North Carolina (a state entity) owns the Lake and leases it to OWASA. This last revelation prompted a resident at the meeting to quip, “Do we need the Governor here?”

It is unclear which entity is responsible for stormwater management at the Lake. Upgrading the dam will require extensive study beyond OWASA’s remit, according to Todd Taylor, OWASA’s Executive Director. However, OWASA would be a key stakeholder in those discussions should they occur. The meeting adjourned with the Facilities Manager for UNC-Chapel Hill, Jamie Smedsmo, agreeing to find out who at the University can move the discussion of dam improvements and stormwater management forward. While flummoxed by the complicated network of stakeholders involved, by the end of the meeting some residents were hopeful that progress was possible.