ANDERSON — Unless satisfactory answers are not provided for four public safety concerns, the Delaware County Board of Health is recommending county officials vote against the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir.
The private letter circulated by board members was reportedly authored by Dr. John Peterson, vice president of the Board of Health.
Peterson said Friday the letter is to enhance the discussion on the reservoir project.
“We wanted to make sure these points were brought up in the discussion,” Peterson said. “We have been looking at it for four to six months. We voted on the letter of recommendations last week. We didn’t expect it to make headlines.”
Peterson said if the concerns and no other issues come up in the future, the elected officials have to make the final decision on the reservoir issue.
“We’re looking at the potential health consequences,” he said. “We have a major problem with septic systems and wells, and the reservoir could pose a risk.”
The four concerns identified by the board include:
• The proposed reservoir, with its sand and gravel base, could put us in a “big funnel,” causing water to back up, raising the water table and altering agricultural drainage systems.
• The proposed reservoir could inundate several industrial toxic dump sites and abandoned landfills that predate the EPA’s ruling, thus lowering the quality of water downstream.
If the water in the proposed reservoir becomes chlorinated, the resulting water combined with organic materials and sunlight could lead to carcinogenic organophosphates.
• The proposed reservoir could increase breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“The Delaware County Board of Health urges the Delaware County Commissioners and the Delaware County Council to thoroughly research these areas of concern before deciding the fate of the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir Project,” the letter states. “If determined that any of the four identified areas of concern, or future identified areas of concern, pose a risk to the health and safety of residents and users, we recommend the Delaware County Commissioners and the Delaware County Council not approve the construction of the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir.”
Steve Ford, administrator for the Madison County Health Department, said he expects the Mounds Lake Reservoir to be on the Board of Health’s agenda for April, but doesn’t anticipate any formal action.
“It has been mentioned several times, but nothing officially,” he said. “We have gathered as many documents as we can. We have looked at the EPA and some other documents.”
Ford said the Delaware County Board of Health letter states concerns could happen if the reservoir is constructed.
“There are a lot of things that could happen,” he said.
Ron Sparks, executive director of the Corporation for Economic Development of Anderson and Madison County, proponents of the reservoir, said they have never been contacted by the Delaware County Board of Health.
“It would have been nice if the Board of Health had called us,” he said. “The feasibility studies have addressed a lot of these concerns.
“Our goal is to solve the issues,” Sparks added. “We’re asking local officials to form the Mounds Lake Commission to provide answers to any concerns.”
Sparks said the board has echoed what the CED has been stating for two years: that these areas and several others would need to be fully addressed satisfactorily during Phase III work of this project.
“We have proposed this to take place under the local governmental oversight of the Mounds Lake Commission, prior to any construction of Mounds Lake,” he said.