Our consultant plans on performing the next two flow stages of the data collection for the IFIM Study next week (October 10 - 14, 2011). The two flow rates are 150 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 97 million gallons per day (mgd), and 50 cfs or 32 mgd. During these tests we need to control the flow released to the lower portion of the Appomattox River within 5 cfs of the target flows. Since we expect the natural inflow into the reservoir to be higher than 150 cfs during the study period next week we have to draw the reservoir level down below the spillway on the dam by approximately 3 inches to provide sufficient space in the reservoir to store the inflow that exceeds our required release amount. During the 150 cfs stage on Monday and Tuesday the release amount plus the amount withdrawn for treatment should be about equal to the inflow so the reservoir level should remain very close to 3 inches below the spillway. When we reduce the release amount to 50 cfs for the second stage the reservoir level should recover and may be full again when this portion of the study ends sometime next Thursday.
The operator of the hydro-electric facility at the Brasfield Dam completed the maintenance work on their facility this afternoon so they will release the additional flow needed to draw the reservoir down by Sunday evening for power generation. They require more than 150 cfs to generate power so they will have to shut down during the IFIM Study work next week and we will release the water during the study efforts.
The Appomattox River Water Authority was formed in the 1960s to own/operate a regional water supply and sell drinking water to the cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg as well as Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties. The information below is updated frequently to communicate current information on Chesdin Reservoir and its environment.
