Resident warns board about construction-water risks for Expedition site; county says developer limited on-site well use to sanitary purposes

During the second public-comment period, a speaker identified in the record as Bassy urged the board to tighten proposed local rules for construction water and to demand a construction-water-source plan from Expedition, a developer under review. The speaker warned the board that repeated application of large volumes of construction water onto fractured Piedmont bedrock aquifers can reduce well yields and risk contamination, and criticized the county for not requiring daily caps, nearby-well baseline testing, or other forms of well-protection for the development.

The commenter cited Fluvanna's 2010 regional water-supply plan, arguing the county is not in a groundwater management area and that groundwater in the county is vulnerable and often privately supplied: "Where are they getting the water? How are they going to use it? And what is the effect on the aquifer?" the commenter asked.

County staff responded that the developer (identified in the record as Expedition, via its representative Tanasa) told county staff it will use on-site wells "solely for portable purposes including sanitary facilities such as restrooms, handwashing, and similar limited uses" and "will not use on-site wells for power generation, process related purposes, or potential construction activities such as concrete production, dust control, etc." Staff also noted that erosion-and-sediment-control permits (DEQ and county) are required for construction activity and that staff had prepared edits to the draft that would be in the public-hearing packet to address concerns raised by board members and commenters.

The exchange recorded the public's concern, the developer's stated limitations as relayed by staff, and staff assurances that permits and draft edits will be part of the public-hearing materials. The transcript does not include independent engineering or hydrogeological studies on the record, so the questions about long-term aquifer effects remain unresolved pending further review.