Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NORTON LENGTH: Medium
Boucher, D-Abingdon, also said Wednesday that Virginia Water Project Inc. of Roanoke, a nonprofit group, will give Norton $25,000 to help pay for the repairs.
The city needs to install a buttress and drainage blanket to stabilize the dam, which separates an upper and a lower reservoir. The city learned of the dam's condition last month after tests were done in the spring.
If the upper and lower reservoir were full and the earthen dam failed, downtown Norton would be under at least five feet of water, the report said.
City Manager Ernie Ward said an emergency contract was awarded Wednesday to Barnette Contractors and work started immediately. The project should be finished by Nov. 1.
With the two grants, the city will have to come up with a little more than $16,000.
Norton City Council last week declared the situation an emergency, and the city was faced with finding $207,000 to have the problem fixed.
Officials considered interim short-term financing or taking the money from unappropriated funds in the budget.
But Boucher on Monday held out the possibility of the grants.
``Saturation of the embankment has decreased the stability of the dam and could pose a significant threat to life and property in the city of Norton,'' he said. ``At the present time, the level of water in the reservoir is low, but a significant rain would increase the level of danger substantially.''
The city has been draining the upper reservoir into the lower one to keep the water level down.
Memo: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.