Published: May 01, 2008 06:32 pm         

Plan to tap R.D. Bailey Lake water discussed

Officials consider linking local systems, area PSDs

While it has been discussed several times in the past, officials — including U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall — took a step closer to tapping into R.D. Bailey Lake as a regional water source.

Last summer’s drought, which led to water problems for Oceana customers, was among the factors bringing the need for a reliable regional water source to the forefront, according to Del. Richard Browning, D-Wyoming.

“This has been on the back-burner for a long time,” Browning told officials attending a meeting to initiate a long-term plan Monday. “It’s not my idea; a lot of people have been talking about this.”

The idea is to use the lake as a water source in Wyoming, McDowell and Mingo counties. By tying local systems and public service districts (PSD) together, individual systems can “buy or borrow water” when they need it, Browning said.

Browning emphasized the plan isn’t intended to impact any PSD or ongoing water projects, but is intended to provide a primary source or backup source for those systems in need of water for any reason.

“Last year, the town of Oceana’s water source almost completely dried up,” Browning said.

Underground water sources are notoriously unreliable and can also be unhealthy, explained David Cole, of the Region I Planning and Development Council, especially with the increase in mining and drilling.

Browning also noted this may be a “way out” for smaller municipalities with decreasing populations that are forced to subsidize water systems and other utilities. A long term study of the region following the July 8, 2001 flooding projected these smaller municipalities would cease to exist in the coming years due to the population declines and escalating operations costs.

Randy Campbell, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the Wyoming County Commission began discussing the possibility of using the lake “back in December” for the proposed Hanover water project.

R.D. Bailey Lake could provide a reliable source, Campbell told officials, and would be very cost effective. Preliminary projections indicate the lake could provide up to 10 million gallons of water a day.

Subsidized with federal funding, cost of the water could be reduced dramatically due to the number of low-income households in the region, officials noted.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has other projects in place, including one in Kentucky, along with similar projects using Bluestone and Summersville lakes, according to Toby Woods, resource manager of R.D. Bailey Lake.

The first step, though the Wyoming County Commission has already completed this task, is a letter requesting a reconnaissance, or exploratory, survey, Campbell noted.

A needs assessment will also have to be completed by a consultant and local meetings conducted.

Engineering and environmental studies will also be required, with the process taking about a year, officials said.

Then funding should be obtained for a regional treatment plant, according to Chris Jarrett, of the West Virginia Water Development Authority.

While the initial costs for the plant could be substantial, savings would come by tying systems together, by “putting pipe in the ground” rather than constructing numerous new plants, which can cost in the millions of dollars, across the region, Jarrett explained.

Capacity could be added to the treatment plant as needed.

Application — complete with a project plan — should be made to the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, according to Jeff Brady, who serves as director of the agency.

Though federal funding has been cut across the board, Rahall supported the idea.

“I’m on board,” Rahall emphasized.