The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1920-05-26
Chief Engineer
Writes Regarding Proposed
I Water Dam on Big Cherry.

III
Health, who recently visited
8Big Stone Gap and inspected
ihe site for tho proposed dam
I'm Big Cherry that the town
81 xrrcts to build this summer to
3impound a supply of water for
SHE town wrote Mayor w. j
sllorsley us follows regarding
3his trip Of inspection;
al)ear Sir
q wish to submit herewith a
shrief report covering my in.
spertion oil the proposed dam
Bite at Big Chcrry, on May sth,
In company with Mr.. d. b
Savers.
4 From Information given by
8Alr Snyuls and which was
.basrd on his preliminary sur
Neys and computations, | um
derstuni that the dam will bee
lnade of earth, about 10 feet in
sheigtl at the middle and will
simpound about 30 million gal
IONS. collected from II Watershed
5estilnntcl to be between 3 and
N square miles.
AS Il general engineering
3lroposition II would appear at
3firsl sight that the dam should
ibt farther down stream SO as to
Collect water from II larger wa
liter shed. There are certain
reasons, however, why the To-
cation at Big Cherry IL better at
8ihis time. (a) Natural basin
jlor u large reservoir which can
ibe made by means Of low
learth dam; ~ good earth ma
lterial linked of clay and sand
for making dam; lc) low cost
compared with il concrcte
STRUCTURE farther downstrcnm;
and tij sufficient storage to tide
over dry months.
Even if this reservoir will not
furnish a supply for more than
4 s0r 10 years, II seems tho best
policy TO build it aud wait until
prices for materials aud labor
.are lower before attempting to
construct larger concrete dam
below.
Il is impossible to predict
what viii be the annual flow
from a watershed of 3 or 4
square miles without having
1.-The monthly rainfall records for
that particular section for n
number of years, including a
dry year. In this particular
case, such calculations are IN
necessary as tile 90 million gal
Ions held IN storage viii be am.
pie 10 tide over dry periods like
.ly 10 occur During the spring,
The reservoir will be filled and
The stored water may he let out
las needed during the summer
months. Assuming no flow into
Tie reservoir or from the water
shed below, the 30 million gal
Ions used mt the rate of 100000
gallons per day would last at
least 90 days taking evapora
Ii0u into account.
Algae troubles are to be ex-
pected in connection with any
lmpoHnied supply in this eli.
luntp Tba trnnbI.. ,.lI So
more pronounced during the
hTst few years than later. In
view of the opportunity for
aeration between the reservoir
aud intake, | do not advise eX
ienslyc cleaning and grubbing
Of the site. The principal work
required viii conaist OF remov-
lng or burning loose logs, and
boards which are likely 10 ilont +.
cutting most OF { Il T. brush
especially i'll the main part Of
me reservoir, and particularly
mat which extends above WA
ler level and burning over the
Slle Possibly he debris
winch Will float can be remov
ed moro easily after the reser-
Volr is filled.
Precautions must be taken to
aYold contamination of thnsup
ny during construction. SAM
'Ary ctosits (pit closets properly
constructed and ut n safe dis.
lance from the stream) should
oe provided for employees and
care taken to see that they are
used. As an additional safe