http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2007/10/31/64-sugar-hollow-on-halloween/ stories of landscapes, conservation, and people in and beyond the Rivanna Watershed Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:43:09 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2007/10/31/64-sugar-hollow-on-halloween/comment-page-1/#comment-283 Richard Lloyd Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:08:44 +0000 http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/?p=14#comment-283 Ms. Middleton You might want to check with RWSA concerning their policy for the Sugar Hollow Reservoir during October and November. This is hurricane season and almost every year Albemarle County issues flood warnings for Sugar Hollow (consult the county web site). RWSA intentionally lowers the pool level at the Sugar Hollow Reservoir to provide some flood surge protection for the property owners below the dam. The experts have also informed the community that the sedimentation in the South Fork Rivanna River is “event driven”. By allowing the Sugar Hollow Reservoir to absorb some of the storm surge, at least the event is lessened a bit. Still several years ago the county had to repave the asphalt road out of Sugar Hollow. The storm surge that year actually eroded the road away and it is likely deposited in the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir along with millions of cubic feet of legitimate sediment. You see the North and South Forks of the Moormon’s River are right below the Skyline Drive. Thereis no soil to retain water there and the only source is rainfall. When it does not rain the watershed dries out from the top first the progresses to the bottom. So often there is no flow in these creeks in the heat of the summer as The Nature Conservancy has informed RWSA. But, when it rains they fill almost immediately because there is no soil to absorb the water. And if that rain is the product of a hurricane coming up the eastern seaboard and hitting our Blue Ridge Mountains, then we are likely to have a flooding of the Sugar Hollow Reservoir and the Moormon’s River beneath the dam. All this water would flow away but luckily the reservoir retains it for use in the Observatory Hill Water Treatment Plant via a critical pipeline. During the fall, winter and spring the recharge is frequent. It would be good for everyone if this reservoir was enlarged to allow more water to be retained for use by the community. It would provide safe, clean mountain water for a deserving community. Ms. Middleton
You might want to check with RWSA concerning their policy for the Sugar Hollow Reservoir during October and November. This is hurricane season and almost every year Albemarle County issues flood warnings for Sugar Hollow (consult the county web site). RWSA intentionally lowers the pool level at the Sugar Hollow Reservoir to provide some flood surge protection for the property owners below the dam.
The experts have also informed the community that the sedimentation in the South Fork Rivanna River is “event driven”. By allowing the Sugar Hollow Reservoir to absorb some of the storm surge, at least the event is lessened a bit. Still several years ago the county had to repave the asphalt road out of Sugar Hollow. The storm surge that year actually eroded the road away and it is likely deposited in the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir along with millions of cubic feet of legitimate sediment.
You see the North and South Forks of the Moormon’s River are right below the Skyline Drive. Thereis no soil to retain water there and the only source is rainfall. When it does not rain the watershed dries out from the top first the progresses to the bottom. So often there is no flow in these creeks in the heat of the summer as The Nature Conservancy has informed RWSA.
But, when it rains they fill almost immediately because there is no soil to absorb the water. And if that rain is the product of a hurricane coming up the eastern seaboard and hitting our Blue Ridge Mountains, then we are likely to have a flooding of the Sugar Hollow Reservoir and the Moormon’s River beneath the dam.
All this water would flow away but luckily the reservoir retains it for use in the Observatory Hill Water Treatment Plant via a critical pipeline. During the fall, winter and spring the recharge is frequent. It would be good for everyone if this reservoir was enlarged to allow more water to be retained for use by the community. It would provide safe, clean mountain water for a deserving community.

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