Daniel Okun and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Water Supply
On Friday, February 3, 2017, Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) customers in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, NC, experienced an extreme water shortage that left them without any usable water. Caused by a combination of an accidental fluoride overfeed and a water main break, residents could not even flush their toilets. Everything was back to normal by Sunday afternoon, and everyone is thankful for our clean, plentiful water supply.
If you’re interested in learning more about Chapel Hill’s water supply, come to the HSL to see the Daniel Alexander Okun papers. Okun (1917-2007) worked in 89 countries over the course of his career. He began his career in the Army as a Sanitary Engineering Officer, and later switched to the private sector, working for Malcolm Pirnie. In 1957, he moved into academia at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (though he continued to consult), where he remained until his retirement. After his retirement, Okun remained actively involved in the profession through writing, lecturing and consulting. His post-retirement work included the campaign to build Cane Creek Dam and Reservoir in Chapel Hill to ensure the most pristine water source possible for Chapel Hill and the UNC campus.
The collection contains correspondence, writings by and about Okun, documentation of his education, career, government testimony and other legal documents, and records of significant water projects including the Connecticut Watershed Protection; the Asheville, NC/French Broad River Basin and Woodfin; and Cane Creek, NC. Also included in the collection are about 1300 slides and small collection of photographs. Miscellaneous papers include Okun's notebooks, a collection of postcards, and papers on Allen Hazen, Ruth Hazen and Gordon Fair. The collection serves to outline Okun's Army and academic career, and details his extensive publication, travel, and work history over the course of 74 years.
Photo from the Daniel Alexander Okun Papers, Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
