THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412220530
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CLARKSVILLE, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
The group that has led the fight against the Lake Gaston pipeline is asking local governments to help raise nearly $500,000 by the end of the year to cover legal expenses.
The Roanoke River Basin Association has racked up a legal tab of more than $470,000 in its fight to stop Virginia Beach from building the 76-mile pipeline. The association wants to pay that debt this month and raise another $1 million in the coming year to finance several major legal showdowns.
Virginia Beach wants to build the pipeline to bring water from Lake Gaston, which straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. Beach officials say the pipeline would meet the city's water needs until at least 2030.
North Carolina officials are among those fighting the project. Opponents of the pipeline contend it would cripple hydroelectric production, endanger the environment and harm economic development in towns along the Roanoke River Basin.
``We are revving up for the big assault on Virginia Beach's pipeline,'' said Roanoke River Basin Association President W. Ewell Barr. ``We've got to get in the financial condition in order that we can continue to be aggressive in our campaign.''
The association mailed fund-raising letters to 19 Virginia counties and cities that fall within the Roanoke River Basin, which includes Lake Gaston, Buggs Island Lake, Smith Mountain Lake and the Dan and Staunton rivers.
Twelve North Carolina counties also will get letters this week.
The letters ask that the governments contribute tax dollars as well as solicit donations from businesses and residents. The association figures $1.35 per resident from each locality will cover its legal expenses.
Most of the funding for the fight against the pipeline has come from governmentsand private citizens. But businesses and industries also ``have a vital interest in the outcome,'' Barr said. ``It will affect the bottom line.''
It may be tough to find government money, because local officials say they lack extra cash in current budgets.
``I'm certainly going to recommend that we set aside something'' next year, Clarksville Mayor Kathleen Walker said. ``This lake means a great deal to us.''
The pipeline battle has been waged in and out of state and federal courts for years, and the Roanoke River Basin Association has spent more than $1.1 million, primarily for legal fees, so far.
In 1995, the association expects to argue two cases in U.S. District Court in Raleigh and an appeal in the Virginia Supreme Court. by CNB