A celebration more than 20 years in the making
By Heather Michon
Correspondent
On Wednesday (Aug. 14), officials and staff from Fluvanna and Louisa counties, along with representatives and staff from Faulconer Construction, gathered on a hillside near Columbia to hold the official groundbreaking ceremony for the James River Water Project.
Moving water from the James River to more water-challenged parts of both counties was a dream that began in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The James River Water Authority (JRWA) was established in 2006 as a joint effort between Fluvanna and Louisa to make that dream a reality.
But it turned out to be no easy task.
Along with the usual difficulties accompanying any public works project, JRWA faced an unexpected roadblock when an archaeological dig at the original site planned for the water intake and pumping station uncovered Native American artifacts that the Monacan Indian Nation believes identified that site as their historic capital settlement of Rassawek.
After many months of pressure from the Monacan tribe and historic preservation groups, JRWA eventually agreed to move the intake to a new site about a mile upstream and began the permitting process over again. They finally received the critical permit from the Army Corps of Engineers in April of this year.
“Large public infrastructure projects can be time-consuming and demanding from a resource and funding standpoint, and it would have been so easy so many times along the road to just say, well, these hurdles are just too difficult to overcome,” said Louisa County Administrator Christian Goodwin.
He thanked the boards of both counties for their “steadfast commitment to the project.”
Fluvanna Board of Supervisors Chair Chris Fairchild said that this summer’s limited rainfall showed the limits of relying on wells to support the rapid development of the region.
“As our counties grow, more water will be needed – eventually, millions of gallons per day,” he said. “The James River can safely and sustainably accommodate the withdrawal we need to meet the anticipated demands, even during the lowest flows.”
While Wednesday marked a major milestone for the project, it will likely be another two years before water starts making the journey to Zion Crossroads and beyond.
Crews must first construct a gravity-fed intake pipe, a pumping station, and four miles of pipeline to carry the raw water from the James to a water treatment plant near Ferncliff.
Once up and running, Fluvanna County Administrator Eric Dahl said the initial permit allows the JRWA to withdraw 8.57 million gallons per day (gpd). The total cost of the project will be about $56 million, split equally between the two jurisdictions.
