Charlottesville City Council met Thursday to discuss a 50-year water plan for the city and Albemarle County, which includes the construction of a new dam at Ragged Mountain reservoir, along with the replacement of old pipelines in the county.
The plan was originally approved in 2006 by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, which includes three members from the city government, three members from the county and one jointly appointed member, Charlottesville Director of Communications Ric Barrick said. Nevertheless, a group of citizens opposed the plan, and the city commissioned more studies about the issue.
City officials have looked at cheaper alternatives to building a new Ragged Mountain dam, which would cost between $34-40 million to construct, said Ken Boyd, a member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and the RWSA. For example, officials considered repairing the existing construction or raising its height by various amounts. Thus far, though, Barrick said county officials have appeared steadfast in supporting the 2006 plan, while the city wishes to take time deliberating the financial ramifications of a new dam.
"We're coming at it from different points of view," Barrick said, pointing out that with the new plan, taxpayers essentially bear half the cost while using significantly less. "It's more expensive per [Charlottesville] taxpayer than it is for the county."
Dede Smith, a member of Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan, said the plan dramatically overstates future water needs and ignores conservation trends. Smith said although proponents of the 2006 plan cited the University's possible growth as one of the reasons the city would need more water, this trend will not be significant enough to have a large effect on demand for water.\n"U.Va's growth will barely register compared to county growth," she said. "To say that U.Va.'s growth will impact the big picture is ridiculous."
Instead, Smith said she favors restoring the resources that already exist in the area, largely by dredging the reservoirs back to their original capacity.
For the plan to be approved or changed, Barrick said a majority of RWSA board members would have to vote in favor of either side.
Boyd, for his part, still favors the 2006 plan.
"We have to plan for the future," he said. "The city has not been growing that much, but part of the city is the University, which is growing."
Such growth may trigger concerns about the consequences of another drought, such as the one the county suffered in 2002, which was serious enough to make restaurants use plastic forks and close down the bathrooms in Scott Stadium.
"We don't want to have those conditions again," he said.
Boyd said there was some disagreement about how much water the area would need but that he would rather err on the side of too much water than too little.
The county may want to build a new dam, but Smith said Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris, who is also a member of the RWSA, has been very supportive of her group's arguments against the plan.
Boyd, however, said the RWSA is concerned the city may be "shortsighted" in its views about the dam.
While officials continue to deliberate, Barrick said he believes a final decision will be reached at Council's Sept. 7 meeting.
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