Critical Study Taking Shape for the Future

The News & Advance
Published: May 13, 2008

A regional plan for adequate future water supplies is taking shape exactly when it should — when supplies are relatively robust and the need for additional sources has not reached the point of a crisis.

Granted, water studies are not the sexiest subjects to come across the governmental horizon, but they can be the most critical, especially in times of great water need. Some parts of the world would consider waging war for decent supplies of water for their people.

In this region’s past, local and state officials have put off identifying future water supplies until they were in the throes of a drought. By then, many of the alternative potential sources of water had begun to dry up. Fortunately, conservation efforts have bailed residents out of any prolonged water shortages.

Today, thanks to the efforts of the General Assembly following a drought that crippled the region in 2002, studies are taking shape that examine water needs on a regional basis.

Two engineering firms are working on a detailed water supply plan for localities in the region. Blacksburg’s Draper Aden & Associates, which has been working on the region’s plan for about a year and a half, is expected to have a draft by June. The plan will detail growth and supply projections 50 years from now and consider alternative sources for all localities.

Once the plan is complete, it will need to be adopted by all localities and ultimately approved by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Michael Lawless, an engineer with the Blacksburg firm, told local government representatives last week that the “reality is this region is generally fairly water rich, but there are other regions that are not.” He said that while the region has adequate water now, “we will need to look at where our demands may be in 50 years and that may change the picture.”

Lawless pointed out that water supplies must keep pace with growth. And that means water supply plans and sources must become documents that support local comprehensive plans.

Noelle Slaughter, an engineer with Malcolm Pirnie Inc., said some of the long-term alternatives could include building new reservoirs, tapping new ground water supplies and increasing capacity at area water treatment plants to meet higher demands.

Lynchburg is blessed with a more than adequate water supply. Its primary source of water is the Pedlar Reservoir, which draws from the Pedlar River in Amherst County. If that source drops, as it did as recently as last summer, the city can switch to the James River for its water. The city also sells water to parts of Campbell and Bedford counties.

Amherst County officials identified future water needs years ago when they established three lakes in the western part of the county for public water supply. Those lakes helped reinforce the town’s water supply last summer when the town’s primary source — the Buffalo River — ran too low.

One of the challenges down the road, Lawless said, is capturing rainfall to ensure that it runs into the ground rather than into rivers and streams. He called attention to that when he said, “Every time you build a parking lot or building, you’re increasing impermeable surfaces, which reduces water going into the ground and into aquifers.”

The water study taking shape is an important one for every governing body in Region 2000. In times of severe drought, water can be the most important commodity.

The study amounts to good planning — planning that elected officials and others must pay attention to for the good of the region.