LETTER- 30 years is enough

"Make it last" is a part of the code of conduct for green living that pertains to possessions. Unfortunately, this maxim is being ignored by the officials who plan to junk our main water supply reservoir and allow it to silt up [December 11: "Gaffney undrained: Confident water boss seeks fourth term "]. Their vision is so long for 50-year water needs, but so short concerning the future of the Rivanna Reservoir and their responsibility for it.

Planning for future water supply should start with the fate of the current one in mind. This community is too environmentally and aesthetically sensitive to tolerate a big mud lake in its midst. It is very likely that the reservoir will eventually be dredged– whether for water or not.

Decades could be added  to the life of the current system and delay the need for Ragged Mountain Reservoir expansion if the dredging is done now. If it then lasts merely 30 years instead of 50, well, those are 30 years we can enjoy the forest at Ragged Mountain; 30 years that water won't have to be pumped up a long pipe with subsequent evaporation loss; 30 years we can spend perhaps millions of our dollars on things other than the water that comes out of our taps; and of course 30 more years of recreation at the Rivanna Reservoir.

J.A. Barker
Charlottesville

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