me warren necora, warrenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 18, 1977 — Page IS
Suggestions of Water Withdrawal From Roanoke Protested
By ROBERT BASNIGHT
Frank L. Wootton, Jr.,
and Bob Nordstrom of the
Norfolk District Corps of
Engineers met recently In
South Hill with Mecklenburg
County Administrator, Ben
McCauley, Executive Director
of the Southside Planning
District Commission
Morris Wells, South Hill
Chamber of Commerce
President T. E. Lee, Jr., and
other local officials to
answer questions raised at a
public hearing conducted by
the Corps on May 23, 1977.
The hearing had been held
by the Corps of Engineers to
accept comments from local
residents concerning possible
water withdrawals from
Kerr Lake or Lake Gaston.
In 1975, the Norfolk
District Corps of Engineers
received a $300,000 grant
from Congress to conduct a
three year study into
alternative sources of water
for the Tidewater area of
Virginia. Since that time,
the Corps has narrowed
down the list of potential
water sources to about
twelve. Among the twelve
remaining alternatives are
proposals to withdraw 70 to
75 million gallons of water
per day from either Kerr
Lake or Lake Gaston for
transfer by pipeline to the
Tidewater area.
Two years ago, the Southeastern
Public Service Authority
(SPSA) located in
Norfolk asked the Wilmington
District Corps of
Engineers for a permit to
withdraw 40 million gallons
of water per day from Pea
Hill Creek in Lake Gaston.
SPSA has since withdrawn
their request, at least for the
time being. There is still
concern that someday SPSA
will renew their efforts to
obtain the water.
The Norfolk District
Corps of Engineers study for
Congress differs from the
earlier request by the Southeastern
Public Service Authority
in that the Corps
projects the Tidewater area
will need 70 to 75 million
gallons of water per day by
the year 2030, whereas,
SPSA projected their needs
at 40 million gallons per day
by the year 2000.
Those attending this latest
meeting with the Norfolk
Corps opposed the withdrawals
from either Lake
Gaston or Kerr Lake on the
grounds that this large
amount of water being
transferred from one river
basin to another would set a
dangerous precedent which
could have far reaching
consequences, both in this
area and in other areas as
well. As an alternative,
those attending recommended
desalting ocean
water as the only feasible
long-range solution. By the
Corps own calculations, a
plant to desalt ocean water
I'-'- •. , . ... ,
will cost $222.3 million to
construct, as compared with
$280.4 million for the Kerr
Lake proposal and $211.8
million for the Lake Gaston
proposal. The Corps contends
that the annual
operating cost of the
desalting plant will average
$23.8 million per year, as
compared with $14.5 million
for the Kerr Lake proposal
and $11.4 million for the
Lake Gaston proposal. The
local contention is that technological
advances between
now and the year 2030 will
more than offset the
anticipated high operating
costs forecast by the Corps.
The Corps has stated that
a buffer zone around any
water intake structure in
either Kerr Lake or Lake
Gaston would not be
required. Local officials
have previously been told
that the State Health Department
would require a
buffer zone which would
prohibit boating and certain
other recreational activites
within a certain distance of
the intake structure. The
Corps stated that they would
supply local officials with
documentation from the
State Health Department
that a buffer zone would not
be required.
The Norfolk Corps of
Engineers plans to hold at
least two more public
hearings somewhere in
Virginia between now and
the summer of 1978, when
the Corps recommendation
for the most feasible
alternative water source for
the Tidewater area will be
delivered to Congress. At
that time, the Corps will
most likely recommend who
they think should build and
maintain the facilities, that
is the water pipelines or
desalting plant or whatever.
It should be noted that if the
Norfolk Corps chooses, they
can recommend that a local
water authority, such as the
Southeastern Public Service
Authority located in Norfolk,
or even the Corps of
Engineers themselves build,
maintain and either sell or
give the water to the
localities desiring it. The
only other known water
source built and maintained
by the Corps of Engineers is
the one serving Washington,
D. C.
Should the Corps of
Engineers decide a local
water authority should
construct the facilities, then
the local water authority
would have to obtain
consent from the county or
municipality in which the
system is to be located,
according to a 1975 change
in the Code of Virginia.
However, if the Corps of
Engineers constructs the
facilities, they would not
have to obtain local consent
since federal law would
apply rather than Virginia
law.
In all, the group decided
there are many major
questions remaining to be
answered. Until these ques
tions are answered satisfactorily
opposition to either
proposal involving Kerr
Lake or Lake Gaston will
remain.
Moody Family Runs
Into Travel Trouble
The Moody family ha
planned and saved up for
whole year to afford
two-week vacation on th
Pacific beaches of Mexicc
The Charlotte couple an
their two children though
they'd taken every possibl
precaution to keep anythini
from spoiling their plans.
The Moodys were wrong
• They had the car checkei
out at a neighborhood ga
station. They collectei
maps and drew arrow
along the route they'd take
The Moody kids evei
polished up on a few Spanisl
phrases gotten out of i
dog-eared school book. Thej
thought they were all set.
As Mr. Moody was drivint
through Guadalajara, hi
began paying too mucl
attention to the Pacific
Coast scenery and ran intc
the rear of a local resident'!
car. Damage was slightmore
to the Moody station
wagon with its dusty Tar
Heel license tag than to the
Mexican car. But police
arrested Mr. Moody for
operating a vehicle in
Mexico without valid auto
insurance.
Mexican law doesn't accept
auto insurance policies
written by non-Mexican insurance
companies. Agents
Qf Mexican insurance companies
may be found in most
of the cities of the
Southwestern U. S. that are
near the Mexican border.
Mr. Moody didn't know
that.
After the accident in
Guadalajara, the Moody
family split up for the night.
Mrs. Moody and the kids
were given a lift to their
hotel by the police. The
Moody wagon had been
impounded as evidence.
Mr. Moody spent the night
in jail.
An Insurance Information
Institute spokesman says
that it's a good idea to add a
visit with your insurance
agent to the checklist of
things to do when getting
ready for a vacation this
summer. The "Moody
family" accident in Guadalajara
never happened.
But it could have. And
insurance problems can
crop up on vacations a lot
closer to home than Mexico.
Another vacation insurance
problem involves the
different auto insurance
laws in force in the other
United States. Financial responsibility
laws in most
states require a driver
involved in a traffic crash to
show proof that he or she
can pay the cost of medical
care and auto repairs up to a
specified dollar amount for
those persons injured. Auto
no-fault insurance laws also
differ from state to state.
The Institute spokesman
says that if a North Carolina
vacationer's auto insurance
is written on a form
approved by the Insurance
Services Office, coverage is
automatically extended to
the financial responsibility
limits set by other states
and Canada. Your insurance
agent can quickly check the
"policy to vef ifyTKat y 6QT ear
insurance will protect you.
If not, he may be able to
arrange a special shortterm
insurance policy for
the vacation. If you're going
to stay away from home for,
more tnan 60 days, you also
should let the insurance
agent take a look at your
family homeowners policy.
Some fire insurance won't i
cover a house left vacant for
long periods of time.
The reason is that fire can
start and bum undetected in
a vacant house until it does
major damage. You may
need to arrange an extension
or to purchase extra
coverage if the house will
stand empty for several
months. It's a good idea also
to enlist a neighbor as a
"house sitter." Hive them
look in on your house
several times a week .while
you're away.
A lot of folks vacation in
Canada during the summer
to escape the heat tad
1 humidity. Auto insurance
i laws in Canadian provinces
i recognize a special "yellow
e card," or non-resident interprovincial
motor vehicle
1 liability card as proof of
t auto insurance. The card is
> available from your insur!
ance agent.
Mexico has different requirements.
A stay in a
I Mexican jail, a hefty fine or
i impoundment of your car
I could occur if vou're in a car
i crash in Mexico and don't
have proof of insurance
i from a Mexican Company,
i You can buy a short term
"Special Automobile Policy
for Tourists" from an agent
for a Mexican insurer in
most Southwestern cities.
The cost ranges hum $10 to
$25 according to the car's
value and amount of
coverage. Along with your
Mexican auto insurance
policy, be sure to get a
listing of the company's
agents for the part of the
country you'll be driving in.
The Institute spokesman
says, regardless of where
you'll be driving this
summer on vacation, it's a
good idea to take proof of
auto insurance with you.
The proof should include the
policy number, date issued,
the name of your agent and
a description of the coverage.
If you're in a car crash
while on your trip, get the
names, addresses and telephone
numbers of occupants
of the other car and
witnesses.
Don't say anything to
anyone present at the crash
that might later be used to
fix blame for the accident
upon you. And don't divulge
the amount of your autot
insurance coverage to anyone
without first talking to
your insurance agent or a ,4
representative of your insurance
Company.
Top Tobacco At
Button Stage
For Best Results
Topping and suckering
tobacco have important influences
on final yield.
These are tasks that North
Carolina growers will be
doing in the next few weeks.
North Carolina State
University agricultural extension
tobacco specialists
point out that topping in the
button stage increases yield
and body, compared to later
topping.
They suggest that, if the
market for bodied tobacco
continues as it is expected to
do, many growers would
benefit by using spacing and
topping practices to produce
110,000 to 120,000 leaves per
acre.
Since most growers use
spacings that result in a
plant population of around
6,300 per acre, plants should
be topped at 18 to 19 leaves
to give the desired leaf
number.
When tobacco plants remain
untopped after reaching
the button stage, yields
are usually reduced 20 to 25
pounds per acre per day, the
NCSU specialists warn.
Although early topping
promotes sucker growth,
there are certain advantages.
Among them are the
following:
—Topping is completed
before harvest begins.
—The risk of plants being
blown over is reduced by
removing the heavy flowers
from the top.
—Root development ia
stimulated, improving the
plants' tolerance to dry
conditions.
—The populations of
certain insects are reduced,
because egg and larva
survival on floral parts ia
lower.
The NCSU specialists
suggest that these advantages
of topping In the
button stage more than
offset the disadvantage
presented by the more
vigorous sucker growth. "