Two King William supervisors along with local Indian tribes are opposing a proposal by Caroline County to take almost 14 million gallons of water a day from the Rappahannock River, a proposal that could have environmental impacts downstream.
The Caroline County Board of Supervisors voted 6-0 on June 18 to use eminent domain to take riverfront land from a fifth-generation farmer for $78,400, despite a barrage of opposition during a public hearing. Opponents claim the county wants to use the water to supply data centers and that wastewater would be dumped in the Mattaponi River. County leaders said the action is vital to secure the county’s future water needs.
King William County supervisors Mary Sue Bancroft and Ben Edwards opposed the action during the public hearing before their counterparts at Caroline County.
“It is my understanding that the withdrawal of water from this gentleman’s property would be emptied into a tributary of the Mattaponi River,” Bancroft said.
She condemned the proposal as a “despicable action,” due to its potential impacts on the Mattaponi and the use of eminent domain. “There are great risks associated with such a plan,” Bancroft said.
“Data centers are not low impact on water needs. Please reconsider this and please say no to this,” Bancroft said.
“You need to really think seriously about what you are doing,” Edwards told the board. He warned the proposal was “destroying people’s lives.”
The proposal made no mention of data centers. However, opponents stated the county has used the possibility of such centers to justify its plans in the past.
“The Board of Supervisors and County staff have been working to obtain a permit from DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) to withdraw water from the Rappahannock for over 10 years,” the executive summary stated.
“In fact, the county’s comprehensive efforts to identify a reliable source to meet its long-term water supply requirements date back even further to 20 years. It is essential that Caroline County secure an adequate water supply to meet its future needs driven by the population growth associated with a vibrant community and to support our economic development successes that will bring new tax revenue and jobs to County citizens.”
Caroline supervisor Clay Forehand said Caroline County faces a “fragile” water situation as groundwater supplies dry up.
“The town of Bowling Green is out of water. We have very limited capacity as a county,” he said. Forehand said the county needs to attract more businesses to take the pressure off taxpayers.
Katherine Sorrell, an attorney with Cultural Heritage Partners who serves as counsel for the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, also spoke against the plan.
“In addition to the concerns that have been raised about impacts to the Rappahannock, there has been zero analysis that has been done by the DEQ on the impacts to the Mattaponi River which creates grave concerns for my client,” she said.
The Rappahannock Tribe has also contacted the DEQ with its concerns over Caroline County’s plans.’
“The Tribe advocates against this development as the traditional stewards of the River,” Chief Anne Richardson posted on Facebook. “She is like our Mother who nurtures us all with her water and the bounty it provides. Water is life. The Tribe has issued a letter of opposition to the state. Please join us in our campaign to help fight against the stealing of our waters and depletion of our sacred River.”
Additionally, the environmental groups Friends of the Rappahannock and The Sierra Club have joined the fight against Caroline County’s plans.
“This permit proposes to allow a major interbasin transfer of water between two major river basins,” Friends of the Rappahannock stated on its website.
“The water would be pumped approximately 35 miles across the county to Carmel Church area in the I-95 corridor where it will be treated at a water treatment plant, used for one of three sectors (residential, commercial, industrial cooling), and discharged after treatment at a wastewater treatment plant into the Mattaponi River and Polecat Creek (a tributary of the Mattaponi River).”
David Macaulay, [email protected]
