Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan held a news conference last Thursday to call for a full rejection of the current regional water plan, asserting Charlottesville City Council has turned a blind eye to facts in favor of speculative future growth and development interests.
CSWP rebuffed the proposal to construct a new dam and pipeline at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, saying the decision was based on outdated and flawed information. CSWP is encouraging the City to first dredge the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and maintain Sugar Hollow Reservoir, a plan it believes will help preserve the local environment as well as save the City millions of dollars per year.
CSWP chairwoman Rebecca Quinn asserted that the City's decision stood in defiance of new study results that invalidate the construction of the dam and pipeline and that it would result in a loss of assets and an unnecessary rise in water rates.
"Here we have elected officials using out-of-date information to make decisions in a way that will harm the environment [and] harm citizens because we are paying for a project that is not needed," Quinn said. "The water rates may go up and up and up, and [they] don't seem to be paying attention to that."
Construction plans for the new dam were spearheaded by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority. RWSA's proposal for the construction of the new water supply intake structure was approved last month by the Virginia Department of Health, which monitors drinking water utilities throughout the state. In a letter to RWSA, the department wrote that the plans and specifications for the new structures were "technically adequate."
The department "is very interested in seeing each community in Virginia have adequate water for human consumption," RWSA Executive Director Tom Frederick said in a statement. "[Its] approval, added to the previous actions of other state, federal and local agencies, provides confidence that the proposed project is right for this community."
CWSP members argue the costs of the project - estimated at $15.7 to $19.2 million for construction and another $3.1 million for design and testing - coupled with new water usage projections indicate that Charlottesville officials should reconsider the validity of their current regional water plan.
"If one in five families today has a hard time paying bills, imagine their situation when water rates start rising, perhaps as much as 5 percent each year for 20 years," Quinn said.
City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution approving the water plan tonight.
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