River water intake sites down to 3

Proposed sites for a water intake on the New River have been narrowed to three or four sites, Town Manager Bryan Edwards confirmed late last week. The water authority held a meeting on Aug. 14, most of which was held in closed session. "Over the course of this thing, we have evaluated six or seven sites," Edwards said. "We have three or four sites that we consider to be viable."

Edwards said the board has been in discussions with property owners about purchasing the land for the proposed plant, which would operate under the Virginia/Carolina Water Authority Board and would serve water to the towns of Sparta and Independence, Va.

However, if arrangements cannot be made, Edwards said the board could choose to look elsewhere. "We have not said that we would not go beyond those three," Edwards commented. "If none of those look to be suitable arrangements, we would look somewhere else."

At the meeting Aug. 14 were several property owners along the river off Riverwood Lane, which is in North Carolina. The water authority board has said the proposed plant would be in Viginia, but the property owners have voiced concerns that water lines might cross their property.

Edwards said some property owners have made assumptions about where the sites are, even though those sites haven't been finalized. "I can't comment on that at this point and time."

 

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