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Residents and a supervisor urge the board to scrutinize Rapidan dam removal plans
Summary
A board member and a public speaker urged the Orange County Board of Supervisors to oppose removal of the Rapidan dam, citing the site's historical value, potential sediment and water‑quality concerns, and urging the board to pursue historic designation or other protections.
A board member and a resident asked the board to take a more active role in decisions about the Rapidan (Rapid/Rat Van Hill) dam after discussion of proposed removal.
Speaker 5, speaking during board comment, stressed the dam’s historical and cultural importance to the region and warned removal could alter flood dynamics, mobilize decades‑accumulated upstream sediment and threaten downstream water quality and infrastructure. "For many residents, it serves as a visual and cultural landmark in Orange County," Speaker 5 said, and asked the board to "take a little more harder look at this situation."
During public comment, Jeff Crane of Rapidan urged the board to support designation of the dam as a historic landmark and to oppose removal. Crane recounted local history — saying the first dam at the site dates to around 1772 and that the current concrete dam was installed around 1936 — and questioned ownership and permitting claims. Crane said, "It's my understanding" that a group seeking removal (referred to in his remarks as 'Climate Partners') received an $8,000,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to remove the dam; he framed that as his understanding and not as a proven fact in the meeting record.
Board members did not take immediate formal action on dam removal during the open session; however, the topic was raised repeatedly and a supervisor asked for closer involvement by the board. The meeting later recessed to a closed session for personnel and property‑acquisition discussions (motions recorded under the Virginia FOIA exemptions).
