Mayor Norris addresses water supply on Charlottesville—Right Now

Dave Norris

On September 29, 2008 Mayor Dave Norris spoke with Coy Barefoot on WINA AM 1070’s Charlottesville–Right Now about his views of the community water supply plan. Mayor Norris explained his view that the initial 50-year plan never seriously considered the possibility of having to dredge the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and may have underestimated the potential for water conservation by the public. Yet he acknowledged that the plan was important to ensure that our water needs can be met from within the watershed, without unnecessarily impeding the natural flow of the Moormans River.

Norris said he would like to set a higher standard for water conservation and build that expectation into future water needs. Dredging should also be considered and Norris suggested that might lower the costs of the plan. Last week, Gannett Fleming’s cost estimate for the new Ragged Mountain Dam increased from $37 million to a high end price with contingency funds at almost $99 million (in 2010 dollars).

Mayor Norris suggested that we need better cost estimates of all of the alternatives available to make a wise decision.

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TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

00:00 – Coy introduces Mayor Norris

01:40 – Mayor Norris calls for better information to improve decisions

05:00 – Norris outlines criticism of the plan

05:49 – Norris presents his own views on preserving the Moormans River

08:57 – Norris sees value in reevaluating expected water needs

11:00 – Norris addresses the financial situation

13:10 – Norris suggests where community might go from here

Daniel Nairn