Neighbors, experts press county to save Orchard Lake as engineers ranked; residents warn of gas-main risk

Residents and property owners pressed Botetourt County supervisors to explore options that would preserve Orchard Lake and to better document hazards before taking irreversible action.

An Orchard Lake neighbor told the board the lake am sits above a high-pressure gas main and described what she called a continuing leak that has affected her familyor years. "Our family is in immediate danger," the resident said, asserting that repeated notices to RGS and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) had not produced remedial action. The speaker said she and her family would refuse to accept a rebuilt dam if it left the gas-main hazard in place.

Other residents asked the board to delay final decisions until an inundation study and formal hazard classification are completed. Dr. Anissa Sain told supervisors the dam has not been hazard-classified and urged the county to pursue the same hazard-rating grant process used previously for Greenfield Dam, noting a county outlay of about $60,000 with a matching DCR contribution at the prior project.

At the staff presentation, David Moorman summarized an RFP process for engineering services. Three firms responded; the evaluation team recommended Timmons Group as the top-ranked firm for its combination of technical experience, communications approach and grant-application expertise. "They demonstrated a breadth and depth of experience," staff said when explaining the ranking.

Board action: supervisors voted unanimously to accept the selection committeeormal ranking and to authorize negotiations with the top-ranked firm, with the county to return to the board for contract approval if negotiations succeed. Some residents urged the board to instead prioritize Morton Thomas (the committee
pplicant ranked second), citing language in that proposal that specifically prioritized "substantially saving Orchard Lake for the enjoyment of the surrounding property owners."

Whatomes next: staff said negotiations with the top-ranked firm will proceed under procurement rules; if an agreement cannot be reached the county will negotiate with the second-ranked firm. The board also noted the public request for a formal inundation study and indicated that grant opportunities that do not require deconditioning the dam should be explored before any irreversible action.