Some SML residents buying into new waterline

Laurie Edwards | Laker Weekly

Workers install pipes along Scruggs Road for Western Virginia Water Authority's new waterline. The project is about 20 percent complete.

Laurie Edwards | Laker Weekly

The residents of Windmere Point voted unanimously to sell their water system to WVWA; the residents had previously maintained the three groundwater wells.

Franklin County has long been home to septic systems and groundwater wells. In developments, the two often are close together, leaving the wells, the water they hold and the lake susceptible to contamination.

A recent partnership between Franklin County and a regional utility soon will reduce the possibility of that happening, at least in part of the lake area.

The Western Virginia Water Authority is installing a waterline down Scruggs Road in Moneta. The work began in October; completion is expected in late fall 2010. The line, which starts at Dairy Queen near Westlake, will extend to Windmere Trail, where it will connect to the existing waterline from Hales Ford Bridge and ends at Dairy Queen.

The installation already was in progress when Franklin County became a member of the Authority last month. Previously, the county worked with the WVWA on a contractual basis. When the county joined the authority, ownership and operation of all its waterlines were transferred to WVWA, said Sarah Baumgardner, environmental communications coordinator for WVWA.

Scruggs Road was chosen as a location for the new line because of its development density and opportunity for growth, said Larry Moore, assistant county administrator.

"It's going to be addressing the needs of the county, addressing the growth development in the Westlake area," he said.

Baumgardner said communities along the Scruggs corridor can opt to transfer their water systems to the WVWA. Additionally, individual residents who are not serviced by subdivision water systems can tap into the line.

Connection, however, carries a price tag. Baumgardner said the current connection and availability fee, which is a one-time payment, is $4,500 for a standard residential meter. If homeowners wait until the line is complete in late fall 2010, the cost will be $6,000, said Baumgardner. Prices in the following years will be based on the prevailing connection fees. Installment plans are available.

Right now, however, connection is optional.

"For those people that live in the Scruggs Road corridor and have wells currently and their well is continuing to produce and continuing to meet their needs, they're not required to hook up," said Baumgardner. "But if the well fails in the future, they would be required to hook up at that point."

As of last week, about a dozen Scruggs Road residents had committed to connecting, said Baumgardner. Additionally five developments, three of which are owned by Ron Willard, president of The Willard Companies, have committed to turning over their private water systems to WVWA.

"It resulted in reduced operational costs for our company and offers dependable water supply, fire protection and services for all area residents for many years to come," said Willard, who sold his water systems to the authority in December 2008. "Developers should develop land, not run public service authorities."

Trey Park, who is planning to develop LakeWatch Club on Dudley Amos Road, just off Scruggs Road, has committed to connecting to the waterline in anticipation of development.

Park said he sees the connection as a benefit for the residents. In addition to being on a main waterline, he said WVWA's installation of fire hydrants along the corridor will provide additional fire protection and likely will lower homeowners' insurance premiums.

At Windmere Point, the residents chose to hook into the waterline. Stan Smith, Windmere resident, said he managed the subdivision's private cooperative water company until the residents transferred it to WVWA about three months ago.

Windmere Water Works consists of three underground wells. Smith said the wells will be decommissioned when the current lines are connected to the new waterline.

"The elimination of the necessity to drill wells will mean we'll have more reliable water and water that we can be sure is safe to drink," said Smith.

In the past 10 years, the Windmere Point residents have dipped into their property owners' association reserve funds to redrill wells that have gone dry or have failed. A sampling of area companies shows average well drilling rates are $11 to $12 per foot. Because wells must be drilled hundreds of feet to reach water, a new well can cost in excess of $10,000.

Until the changeover, Windmere residents were responsible for testing the water regularly for contaminants and performing regular maintenance. Those duties now are done by WVWA. Smith said they are an additional benefit to turning over the water works.

"Here at the lake, as more and more homes become second homes, it's difficult to get volunteer labor for homeowners' association-type things," he said. "They just are not able to contribute in that way."

The pros of connecting to the WVWA waterline outweigh the negatives, said Smith. The Windmere Point property owners' association held a special meeting where the membership voted unanimously to turn over its water works.

Smith said concerns raised before the vote included those by some residents who did not want chlorinated water and who didn't want to lose control of the water works. The biggest negative was increased utility rates, said Smith.

"The water rates for the Authority are higher than what we were paying," he said.

The Westlake water rates were set at a WVWA board meeting in December 2008 and based on line size and water usage. The prices will increase over a three-year period until the rates mirror Franklin County's standard rates.

This year, customers will pay $26 per month for a minimum of 4,000 gallons. Next year, rates will be $30; in 2011, they will be $32.

Baumgardner said additional waterlines may be installed in other parts of the county based on density studies and discussions among the WVWA board. At this time, a county-wide system is not feasible, she said.

"There are some areas that are so rural that there's no financial justification to run a waterline for miles and miles when there aren't enough customers to serve," said Baumgardner.

Moore said some corridors may lend themselves to waterlines in the future based on development potential, including Virginia 40 and the remaining Virginia 122 corridor.

As the county's system grows with WVWA, Smith Mountain Lake may become a water authority source in the future, said Baumgardner. A 2003 study identified the lake as the next big water source, but its inclusion would be years down the road.

Baumgardner said the study indicated that WVWA has an abundant supply of water through 2040.

For more information about the Scruggs Road waterline or the Western Virginia Water Authority, visit www.westernvawater.org.