Water pressure in northern Roanoke County neighborhoods around Northside High School and Woodhaven Road has been somewhat of an issue in recent years as developments like the Green Ridge Recreation Center on the other side of I-581 have sprung up.
Now the Western Virginia Water Authority, on land owned by Roanoke County, wants to erect a new water tank near Green Ridge in order to enhance the system’s pressure. That will make what comes out of the faucet more reliable for residents – and more dependable for firefighters battling large structure fires.
The Water Authority would actually lease the plot of land adjacent to the Green Ridge Recreation Center, which is on Woodhaven Road just off 581. On December 3 the authority and Roanoke County held a community meeting at Green Ridge, which drew about 50 residents and county officials, including incoming Hollins supervisor Al Bedrosian.
Some residents asked about any issues with the height of the proposed water tank (126 feet from its base) since Green Ridge is close to Roanoke Regional Airport. Assistant County Administrator Richard Caywood said the FAA had done its study and claimed the tank height was okay, since it is not in a direct runway flight path. Catawba supervisor Butch Church, in the audience, reminded others that, “details have been cleared with the airport, [otherwise] we wouldn’t even be talking about this.”
A site for the water tank near Northside High School was rejected last year, in part because the larger tank proposed to enhance water pressure (it would have replaced a much shorter structure) was turned down by the Board of Supervisors on a deadlocked vote.
Residents in the immediate area had complained about the height of the structure and what it might do to property values. It was also suggested that since the issue of water pressure had become more pronounced since Green Ridge came on line, that the water tank should go up in that vicinity, on the other side of I-581.
Caywood also noted that other sites, like the Northside area, “didn’t work very well for the county from a zoning perspective.” With the land near Green Ridge already zoned industrial, it doesn’t have to be upgraded from residential – always a more tricky proposition when it comes to building structures like a new water tank.
The tank, which enhances system pressure by using gravity, will only work if it is built to the proper height. With “the whole area up on a hill,” said Caywood, finding a spot that was higher than surrounding neighborhoods to place the tank on was one of the conditions that made the Green Ridge property ideal. “The issue is getting the water at the right pressure,” said Caywood.
Now the main issue may be design and cost – water authority executive director Gary Robertson said there is already money in the budget for a cylindrical, more industrial-looking model (about $600,000), but the more attractive, spherical versions – think golf ball on a tee – go for about a half million more. Caywood said the county would have to negotiate with the Western Virginia Water Authority about the price if the Board of Supervisors mandates that the spherical model must go up due to aesthetics.
Caywood also told the audience, after a question about property values, that county real estate valuators told him they “generally do not see” property devaluation due to adjacent water tanks. Since some of the homes in the line of sight are actually on land zoned industrial, Caywood said their property values might be enhanced if a commercial enterprise wanted to buy them out, since increased water pressure might be critical to their operations.
Caywood also pointed out that a nearby large parcel of land at the intersection of I-81 and I-581, already zoned industrial, could be more attractive now to a manufacturer, with better water pressure in the area. The new tank – cylindrical or spherical – would have “more of a regional [positive] impact on water pressure,” Caywood promised.
By Gene Marrano
