An overflow crowd packed the Gretna High School auditorium and spilled outside Thursday night for a public hearing on Appalachian Power Co.’s application for a state permit that would regulate release of water from Smith Mountain Lake.
More than 500 people attended, with so many filling the auditorium that the Pittsylvania County fire marshal ordered that the hearing be moved out to the football field.
Attendees filled the bleachers to air their concerns over the possible issuance of a Virginia water protection permit by the Department of Environmental Quality.
A Virginia water protection permit is required for water withdrawals, hydropower projects, wetland fills and dredging projects, said Joe Hassell, an engineer with DEQ.
Appalachian, which has hydroelectric turbines at Smith Mountain and Leesville dams, applied for the permit in March.
The 40-year-old project uses Smith Mountain Lake as an upper reservoir and Leesville Lake as a lower reservoir. The water in Smith Mountain Lake passes through turbine-generators in a powerhouse to produce electricity and is discharged into Leesville Lake, according to the Smith Mountain Project Web site. Water is kept in Leesville Lake and pumped back into the Smith Mountain Lake for re-use.
A portion of the water goes through the turbine generators at the Leesville powerhouse to generate
additional electricity and to meet the minimum discharge requirements of the project’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license, the Web site states.
Water travels from Smith Mountain Lake to Leesville Lake to the Staunton River.
J.T. Davis, president of Friends of the Staunton River, said he would like to see the permit issued with modifications to preserve water flow in the Staunton River. Residents will not stand by and allow the river to be violated, he said.
Kevin Allgood, mayor of Clarksville, asked the State Water Control Board to consider the affects its decision would have on water levels at Buggs Island Lake. Decreased water there would adversely impact visitation and recreational activities, he said.
“Tourism has become a staple industry for our community,” Allgood said.
The state will make its decision Oct. 16.
At least one person attending Thursday’s public hearing said the relocation of the hearing killed a half-hour of valuable time.
“I think it’s very poor planning,” said Bob Jean, a member of the Dan River Basin Advisory Committee. ”All you got to do is mention Staunton River and you get a big crowd.”
Contact John R. Crane at jcrane@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7987.
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