Posted on March 16, 2020
LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — People packed the Spring Creek Clubhouse in Zion Crossroads for a meeting about the James River Water Authority’s project to bring water to Fluvanna and Louisa counties on Wednesday.
The James River Water Authority Board voted to move forward on its water project to bring a water supply from the James River to the Zion Crossroads area of Louisa and Fluvanna counties.
The supply’s purpose would be to help develop the area.
The location of the project would sit at the Point of Fork in Fluvanna County where the Rivanna and James rivers meet. That site is also considered the capital of the Monacan Indian Nation, Rassawek.
Many people at the meeting voiced their displeasure with the vote, chanting shame while turning their back to the board.
Greg Werkheiser, a lawyer for the Cultural Heritage Partners representing the Monacan Indian Nation, said he feels the Monacan Indian Nation and the people were neglected and the board chose to put profit before people.
“The James River Water Authority, their vote is a shame,” said Werkheiser. “It is profit over people, it is environmental racism and that is relatively, unfortunately, a new term but it describes something that has been around for years. It’s a shame they are going to largely ignore the 12 to 15 alternative places they could’ve built this, but we’ve seen setbacks before and ultimately we are confident this site will not be destroyed by this project. We will find another alternative or we’ll shut the whole thing down.”
Justin Curtis, an attorney for Aqua Law representing the James River Authority Board, said the board thinks the current location for the project is the best site, but it plans on working with the Monacan Indian Nation to discuss possible alternatives.
“If there is a better alternative that meets the 50-year needs for drinking water in the counties, and is affordable for the counties to do, unfortunately, cost and budget are a constraint for a project like this, but if there is an alternative for everyone, I think its incumbent for all of us to explore that,” said Curtis.
The project is not finalized.
The board will submit additional application materials to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and then a public hearing will take place before a final decision is made for the project.
Source: cbs19news.com
