Ground breaks on new reservoir outside Morgantown | State Journal News | wvnews.com

From an Article by Connor Griffith, The State Journal, July 20, 2018

MORGANTOWN — A project nearly 60 years in the making recently took another step toward completion with the recent groundbreaking of the dam and reservoir along Cobun Creek off Interstate 68.

Members of the Morgantown Utility Board and community signatories traveled to the site for the ritual of planting shovels in the ground and a site tour. Director Tim Ball said this was preceded by a gathering at the Erickson Alumni Center in which the structure’s official name was announced: the George B. Flegal Dam and Reservoir.

Flegal was the first engineer for the Morgantown Utility Board’s predecessor, the Morgantown Water Commission, who designed the current reservoir along the creek closer to the Monongahela River. However, he recognized the need for a larger alternate source of water and went so far as to purchase land for it in 1960.

“Recognizing his foresight and vision, we thought it appropriate to name it in his honor,” Ball said, adding that Flegal’s purchase 58 years ago only needed a few more acres added to bring it up to its current size. “It was a special day for this event.”

The project picked up steam in 2014 following the Freedom Industries chemical spill that disrupted the water supply for more than 300,000 people for a month. The older reservoir, with a capacity of 40 million gallons, would only provide the Morgantown area with three days of water should the Monongahela River become contaminated. Ball said this is due to sediment that gradually builds up in the reservoir and the larger population of Morgantown.

The George B. Flegal Dam and Reservoir will hold 370 million gallons of water when full, which is enough to supply Morgantown for 30 days. The dimensions are that of a 74 foot tall earthen dam stretching about 870 feet across the crest of the dam and will be roughly 440 feet wide.

Ball said the contractor behind the job is Kanawha Stone based out of the Charleston area, which has a track record in Monongalia County of moving earth for the West Side development off Interstate 79 and the Suncrest Towne Centre.

“We’re lucky to work with them. They are a reputable company,” Ball said, adding that all the material needed for this earthen dam is already present on site. He said Kanawha Stone’s contract gives them two years to get the dam built but it could be completed in 12-15 months depending on speed and weather conditions. After that, it’ll take about 12-18 months for the reservoir to fill up with water.

According to Morgantown Utility Board, no lights or fencing will surround the reservoir itself and the board has no plans of providing public access. However, the board will permit the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation to conduct and manage public access opportunities should it choose to do so.

“We’re very positive on the reservoir investment,” said Eldon Callen, with the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is the kind of infrastructure development that we need to be focusing on. We’re very much focused on doing things the correct way.”

Given the location of the reservoir itself, Callen said it’s in a position to provide water to a majority of Monongalia County. Besides the county’s West End, Callen said he can envision further growth along Grafton Road and Kingwood Pike, both of which are located close to the new reservoir.

“We need to diversify our economy with growth and influx of new people that’s been going on,” he said. “Since the last census, we’ve grown significantly. We were averaging about 6 percent in population growth during some of those years.”

The older reservoir will still be used as a backup water supply to the new reservoir. Some funds from this $48 million project were set aside to rehabilitate the old pool and clear out some of the sediment.

Ball said that Flegal actively monitored the new reservoir project when it started moving again after 2014, directly communicating with the Morgantown Utility Board via letters at times. Ball said he hoped Flegal would be able to attend the groundbreaking but the engineer passed away about four months ago at the age of 90.

However, his son, Greg, attended and said his father would’ve been proud of the accomplishment.

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