SML Treatment Plant Is Now A Legal Issue

Litigation aside, constructing on the Smith Mountain Lake Water Treatment Plant will likely proceed onward. Officials with the Bedford Regional Water Authority filed a motion on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit that was filed earlier this month. On Tuesday the authority announced plans to move forward with the major utility system to distribute water from Smith Mountain Lake. The BRWA, a merged entity of Bedford County and former city of Bedford water and sewer systems, plans to build a 26-mile pipeline that moves water from the lake to Bedford and Forest along Virginia 122 and U.S. 460. According to the News & Advance, the suit filed on Jan. 7, contends the project was not properly authorized in accordance with the Virginia Water and Wastewater Act when the water authority was created in December 2012. A Public Hearing is set for Feb. 4, in order for the Planning Commission to determine whether the facility fits the county’s comprehensive plan. Construction on the plant is expected to start later this year.