Next Steps: More Water Supply Studies Underway
Since 2008, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Charlottesville City Council, and
the Boards of the Albemarle County Service Authority and the Rivanna Water and
Sewer Authority have made decisions to conduct several additional studies related to the
implementation of the water plan and potential alternatives.
The following key studies are currently underway with reports expected in 2010:
• Design and cost estimate for a new Ragged Mountain Dam: Schnabel Engineering
was hired in September 2009 to design the new 112 foot Ragged Mountain Dam which
would raise the water level of the reservoir by 45 feet. The RWSA terminated its contract
with original engineers, Gannett Fleming, after the cost estimates on the dam approached
$100 million. A new cost estimate is expected by May 2010.
• Conceptual pipeline design review: Wiley and Wilson has been hired to review
the proposal in the approved 2006 water plan to build a new pipeline to transfer water
between the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and the Ragged Mountain Reservoir.
The Sugar Hollow Pipeline would be retired as part of the 2006 plan. A report will be
delivered to the RWSA at their February 2010 meeting.
• Review of three original pipeline concepts: The RWSA will produce a report listing
the potential advantages and disadvantages of three water supply pipeline approaches.
This includes: 1) the proposed new South Fork pipeline in the 2006 plan; 2) replacing
the existing Sugar Hollow pipeline (built in 1927) which carries water from the Sugar
Hollow Reservoir to the Ragged Mountain Reservoir; and 3) a new pipeline to the James
River. The latter two options were previously eliminated from the water plan in 2006.
• A study of I-64 embankment at Ragged Mountain: Volkert Inc. was hired by the
RWSA in November 2009 to evaluate the impact of inundating the I-64 embankment
near the Ragged Mountain Reservoir if a new 112 foot dam is built. A cost estimate for
the strengthened embankment is due in May 2010.
Three other studies are largely being done at the behest of Charlottesville City
Council to evaluate what has been described in this publication as the “Norris Plan.”
First put forward as a water supply alternative by Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris in February
2009, the proposal involves a combination of dredging the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir,
conservation, and increasing the existing Ragged Mountain Dam height by 13 feet.
Charlottesville City Councilor, David Brown, has said that Council should represent
the concerns of City residents who want more information on the costs of dredging.
As was discussed in issue 4 of Our Water Our Future, there has been no maintenance
dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir since it was completed in 1966. However,
because of the costs and the insufficient amount of water storage that a completely
dredged reservoir would provide, dredging was not included as a component of the 2006
plan. Norris has described the past assessment of dredging by consultant Gannett Fleming