On October 21, the Albemarle County Service Authority agreed to fund the final design phase of a new Ragged Mountain Dam to the tune of $869,000. The decision came one month after the City of Charlottesville approved a revised community water supply plan proposal that includes a phased construction of a new Ragged Mountain Dam—a step up to 13′, with an incremental build-up to 29′ as needed.
Now, with November 18 renewal date for the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority’s temporary operating permits for the Upper and Lower Ragged Mountain Dams looming, former ACSA board member John Martin says the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) should deny the RWSA’s permit unless the city reconsiders its proposal.
Martin recently submitted a letter to the DCR in which he argues that City Council has "adequate time…to reassess its position and hopefully recommit to the 2006 approved Water Supply Plan." In his letter, Martin writes that the city is concerned the 2006 plan "provides too much additional water capacity and is too expensive," although Albemarle County will shoulder the bulk of the costs. The city’s move is, according to Martin, an effort to regulate county growth by denying additional water capacity.
Following a meeting of council, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, RWSA and ACSA in September, RWSA staff composed a letter for Department of Environmental Quality officials that includes questions concerning the city’s revisions to the water supply plan.
"I’ve read the draft letter," said Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris at yesterday’s RWSA board meeting. "And, frankly, if I were DEQ and I received a letter like that, my head would explode."