Clarksville Plans August Symposium About Changing Demands on Kerr Reservoir Water Resources
photo by Justin Eubank
A one-day symposium in Clarksville slated for August 19, 2010 will provide citizens and public officials throughout the Roanoke River Basin the opportunity to learn more about why the Kerr Reservoir is managed the way it is, how requests for future water allocations will be processed, and what is being done to ensure that its multiple benefits are sustainable. This information will assist stakeholders and lake users in influencing future decisions about the Reservoir. This symposium is timely for a number of reasons including (1) the amount of lake water that can be used for industrial, municipal, and residential use is limited by Federal Law, (2) the amount of water now requested by municipal localities, if approved, is about 95% of the authorized release, (3) because the Corps of Engineers has requested local input into decisions about water allocations and (4), because Clarksville has the strategic distinction of being the only town directly located on the Lake. That puts the Town of Clarksville and other communities in the Basin in the position of needing to ensure a sufficient share of the remaining allocation to support critical industrial recruitment efforts, while meeting municipal and residential needs.
Two years ago the Clarksville Town Council established a committee of citizens to assist the Council in responding to lake-related issues that could affect the community and to position the Town as a credible and proactive source of information about current and future challenges facing the Reservoir. As it began its mission, the Clarksville Lake Interests Committee recognized that an informed community and Council is likely to be more effective in addressing any issue or opportunity with regards to the lake.
With the help of several state and federal experts in reservoir policy and management, the Committee is planning to conduct a public symposium at the Clarksville Community Center on August 19, 2010.
The purpose of the symposium is to inform attendees about the federal and state bases for (1) current operating policies of the Reservoir, (2) ensuring the sustainability of the multiple benefits provided by the Reservoir, and (3) processes for dealing with future water allocation requests.
The meeting is intended to be helpful to regional and local policymakers, municipal officials, economic development professionals, economic, environmental and recreational interests, and concerned citizens of Clarksville and the surrounding area. Speakers will include Corps of Engineers officials from Wilmington and elsewhere, Virginia and North Carolina state water officials, and representatives of regional user group associations.
Registration and a continental breakfast for participants will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 9:00 a.m. The $15.00 registration fee includes lunch, and the wrap-up session is scheduled to end by 3:30 p.m.
Since its inception in 1952, Kerr Reservoir (Buggs Island Lake) and its associated resources have had a profound influence on the economic, environmental, and recreational interests of South Central Virginia and North Central North Carolina. Harnessing disastrous floodwaters has helped stabilize downstream land use and encourage development, and efficient power generation has contributed to the state’s growing power needs. Water-intensive manufacturing plants and a growing number of communities have had access to dependable supplies of quality water. Resource-based tourism has grown steadily, and the area has become much more appealing to retirees, who have partially helped to mitigate the consequences of manufacturing jobs lost over the past two decades.
As with all Federal water impoundment projects, the legislative policies and management practices that govern the management of the Reservoir by the Corps of Engineers have evolved over the years to reflect the nation’s shifting concerns about its natural resources. Concerns about water quality standards, protection of aquatic life, landowner rights, lakeside development and other issues have resulted in modifications of management practices that are sometimes considered onerous by groups and individuals with competing interests. For example, water releases to aid downstream hardwood reforestation have impacts on the access to floating docks and launching ramps. The emergence of user groups such as the Roanoke River Basin Association and the Lake Gaston Association serve to help communicate to users the basis for changes in management and operations of the Reservoir, as well as providing organized input to Congress, the Corps, and other governmental agencies about proposed changes.
Today, eastern water impoundments are beginning to experience new demands to supply water for municipal and residential use. The Virginia Beach efforts to secure an allocation of Kerr Reservoir water is a likely forerunner of many future challenges by rapidly growing regions to access resources to meet their needs. These demands will often pit small local reservoir interests against far larger, better-financed, and politically- nuanced populations. The establishment of the Roanoke River Bi-State Commission by the states of Virginia and North Carolina is one response to anticipated pressures on the resources of the Roanoke Basin. The establishment of a well-informed group of local stakeholders could serve as another.
View/Print Schedule of Events and Speaker Information
Please Register for this exciting event below (PayPal, safe and easy!) or if you prefer you may also send a check ($15 per person) to:
Town of Clarksville
P.O. Box 1147
Clarksville, VA 23927
Attn: Melinda Moran
For additional information on the event contact (or use the form below)
Charles Lee, Program Chair
(434) 374-0794
or
Melinda Moran, Manager, Town of Clarksville
434-374-8177
