watershed moment

Over the years I've attended many meetings sponsored by our City. We meet with a neighborhood planner, Our input is earnestly solicited. We are invited to share our vision for the future of our neighborhood. And then? Next to nothing happens. The quality of life in the neighborhood continues to degrade.

So it goes. The beautiful historic neighborhood I live in is now a short cut for multi-axle traffic from an industrial park and for drivers shaving stop lights off the daily commute.

The City talks neighborhood values while developers cut building lots out of our cemetery.

Most of my neighbors have given up on the meetings. Meetings are crap. Meetings are a thing the magician does to divert attention with while the degradation continues.

Last night I attended a meeting regarding the future of our water supply. One of the my neighbors was in the room.

RWSA, our local water and sewer authority, has held a series of public outreach meetings on the question of where our drinking water should come from.

RWSA has taken the community input about the water source and they are acting to realize the vision! The vision is one of stewardship, living within the means provided by our watershed. I am cautiously optimistic.

It was a meeting with a difference.

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It looks like RWSA is seriously considering:

Option #1 ? Charlottesville Pipeline

Increase the height of the Ragged Mountain Dam to allow for greater water storage. Connect the Ragged Mountain Reservoir and the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir with a new 10 mile (est) pipeline. Turn off the 100-year old 12-mile Sugar Hollow pipeline (slated for replacement) that fills Ragged Mountain today. Fill the expanded Ragged Mountain reservoir from the Rivanna Reservoir using the new pipeline. Balance water treatment between existing facilities.

Earlier in the process the Chinatown scenario prevailed, stick a straw in the James River at Scottsville...

The Daily Progress has a more balanced report. "Rivanna water options narrowed to 2"