Area Reservoir Project on Track / But Dawson’s Creek a Decade Away, Says Chesterfield Official
If things go smoothly with the development of a new reservoir in Amelia County, Chesterfield County says its water needs should be taken care of for the next half-century. But it might be more than a decade before the facility is up and running.
Chesterfield Administrator James J.L. Stegmaier told the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday that the Appomattox River Water Authority was making slow but steady progress toward building Dawson’s Creek Reservoir, a $120 million project.
Chesterfield’s share of the cost is estimated now at $82.5 million.
As planned, the 622-acre, 6 billion-gallon reservoir would provide 30 million gallons per days to the counties of Chesterfield, Prince George, Amelia and Dinwiddie and the cities of Petersburg and Colonial Heights.
Located in western Amelia on the edge of Prince Edward County, the pumped-storage water facility would be filled from the Appomattox River when it flows high to supplement existing water supplies.
Chesterfield will benefit the most, with 21 million gallons per day available. The county currently receives 13 million gallons a day from its own Swift Creek Reservoir, 59 million from Lake Chesdin and 27 million from the city of Richmond.
“When we add the capacity of this reservoir to the capacities that we already have . . . we anticipate that the county’s water needs can be met through 2060,” Stegmaier said.
“That doesn’t mean you will always have plenty of water through the worst drought,” he added.
Chesterfield’s current water supply is estimated to last the county through 2035.
The Appomattox River Water Authority is still negotiating the host agreement with Amelia and has yet to begin serious discussion with Prince Edward, which may contain a small portion of the reservoir depending on depth. Licensing and construction will take several years.
“Probably you won’t see the first use of water out of this reservoir for the next 10-12 years,” Stegmaier told supervisors.
If all goes as planned, the water authority would purchase the property, handle the construction, and build, operate and maintain the facility.
The authority would pay the county $10 million for the right to build the reservoir and let the county have some of the water.
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.
Originally published by P. HESTER; Times-Dispatch Staff Writer.
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