Oral history interview with Joe Herzenberg, November 18, 1985

Description:

Herzenberg, a Chapel Hill politico whose specific role is not identified in this interview, voices his support for the Cane Creek reservoir project. The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) was squaring off against residents of the Cane Creek area outside of Chapel Hill over plans to construct a reservoir to meet growing water needs in Chapel Hill, needs that OWASA asserted could not be met by other nearby bodies of water. Herzenberg finds the Cane Creek residents' efforts to be disingenuous and ultimately ineffectual: he sees them as elites masquerading as simple farmers to generate support and thinks their legal tactics will only delay the inevitable. This interview presents the perspective of an unpopular plan's supporter. His belief in the necessity of Cane Creek seems to frustrate the interviewer, who focuses more on pressing him over the utility of University Lake than the implications of creating the reservoir.

subjects: Interviews,  Water quality,  Water-supply,  Politics and government,  Orange Water and Sewer Authority (N.C.)

People: Joseph A. Herzenberg (1941-2007)

Places: Cane Creek Reservoir (N.C.),  North Carolina,  Orange County,  Chapel Hill (N.C.),  Orange County (N.C.)

Times: 20th century