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NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 12:00 noon IN THE Albemarle County's 5th Street Office Building, Room B. THE PROPOSED AGENDA IS AS FOLLOWS: Meeting with Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to discuss water supply and transportation issues BY ORDER OF THE MAYOR BY Jeanne Cox ALBEMARLE COUNTY 5TM STREET OFFICE BUILDING- November 11, 2004 Council met in special session on this date with the following members present: Dr. Brown, Mr. Caravati, Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Schilling. Water Supply Mr. Tom Frederick, Executive Director of Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, gave a brief overview of the goal to increase the water supply. He said that questions had been raised recently about Buck Mountain Reservoir not making the short list of alternatives, and he asked Bill Ellis to give the reasoning behind this decision. Mr. Bill Ellis, Legal Counsel to RWSA, said that the Buck Mountain Reservoir does not satisfy the legal requirements to be licensed. He said the Clean Water Act sets forth permitting programs and the Environmental Protection Agency publishes guidelines. He said permits are given only for the least environmental impact and most practicable project. He said State law applies the same standards. He said the key thing it means is that each project is judged on its own merits. Mr. Ellis said it would be difficult to make the case that Buck Mountain is the least environmentally damaging and practicable alternative. He said it affects 55 acres of wetland, a linear stream channel, and has a documented finding of an endangered species. He said the cost of Buck Mountain, including the value of the land and facilities to pipe and treat water is estimated at $110 million. He said even if we own the land we have to include the value of the land. He said other alternatives are expanding Ragged Mountain Reservoir, which involves 4.8 acres of wetland and some stream impacts, at a cost of $82 million, with an identical capacity to Buck Mountain; and James River pipeline, which involves 5 acres of wetland, has little stream impact, and at cost of$110 million. Mr. Ellis said that engineers who have studied the alternatives have said that these other alternatives are technically feasible, so they cannot be rejected as impracticable. Because of that, Mr. Ellis said it would be hard to say that Buck Mountain is the least damaging and most practicable. Responding to a question from Mr. Ken Boyd, Board of Supervisors member, Mr. Frederick said that the land for Buck Mountain cost $3 million. Mr. Lynch asked if there is a breakdown of costs for all the alternatives, adding that the estimates are higher now than earlier presented, and Mr. Frederick said that there is a report available with this information on RWSA's website. Mr. Ellis said it is his opinion that it would be very difficult if not impossible to get a license for Buck Mountain. In response to questions raised about how other jurisdictions are getting their reservoirs licensed, he said it is driven by the unique alternatives available or not and their environmental effects and practicability. Dr. Brown asked if there are significant environmental differences between Ragged Mountain expansion and the James River pipeline, and Mr. Ellis said there are differences, but he does not know if they are significant. Responding to a question from Mr. Lynch, Mr. Frederick said that without the treatment, the pipeline for South Fork Rivanna Reservoir costs $18 million, which