In early 2012, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and the Charlottesville City Council agreed to a community water supply plan that included a new dam at Ragged Mountain as well as a pipeline to connect that reservoir with another nine miles away at the South Fork Rivanna.
A new earthen dam was completed in 2014 but the original arrangement was to not fill in the reservoir to the highest level until certain conditions were met. Last December, all parties to the water supply plan agreed to move forward with elevating the pool by 12 feet sooner.
“The additional water storage will increase the Ragged Mountain Reservoir’s water capacity to 2.1 billion gallons,” reads a press release sent out by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority on Monday.
Construction work won’t begin until the summer of 2025. When it does, trees and other vegetation will be removed and modifications will be made to the intake tower. The release also states the work may affect use of the walking trails that are part of the Ragged Mountain Natural Area.
According to a status report for the February 2024 RWSA Board meeting, construction of the waterline connecting the South Fork and Ragged Mountain reservoirs is expected to start construction in June 2025 and be completed by December 2030. The total budget for the project is $80 million. Some of the work is already being performed.
“A short section of the 36” raw water main is being constructed with the Victorian Heights housing development on Woodburn Road and will be completed in March 2024,” reads page 53 of the meeting packet.
There will be a new raw water intake at the South Fork reservoir for the new pipeline. This Thursday, the boat ramp at South Fork will be closed for a month to make way for preliminary field work for the project.
“The preliminary field work in this area will consist of geotechnical borings, both along the shoreline and in the reservoir itself, to evaluate subsurface conditions and confirm presence of rock that may be encountered during construction,” reads that press release.
For more information on the project, visit the RWSA website.
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