Randleman Dam Construction Celebrated

RANDLEMAN — Government leaders celebrated a moment they had talked about for decades: the official construction start on the Randleman Reservoir dam.

The project has been talked about since 1937, at least, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a dam on the Deep River to control flooding. Lately, the project has been anticipated to provide drinking water for the Greensboro-High Point area.

“This is going to be a tremendous help to address water needs,” said Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. “We’re in dire need of it, in Greensboro particularly.”

Coble said the dam will address water needs for the region for 40 to 50 years.

“The bad news is many people lost their property, and for them, it’s not going to be a good day,” he said in an interview prior to the groundbreaking ceremony. “Dairy farms will be submerged, but I guess nothing comes without cost in this era in which we live.”

Coble said the cost will be offset by increased economic development that will bring more jobs.

Officially operated by the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, the $18.4 million dam project is being built by ASI RCC Inc. of Colorado. The dam will be located on the Deep River just north of Randleman in Randolph County and is expected to be completed by 2003.

Water from the lake that forms behind the dam eventually will be provide 48 million gallons of water a day Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Archdale, Randleman and Randolph County.

Greensboro, which has desperately needed a larger water supply for years, would be the largest user of the reservoir.

The project has faced controversy because it’s in a heavily urbanized area and some of the water flowing into it is treated water from a High Point sewage treatment plant. The reservoir also is bordered by the city’s former landfill, which includes a defunct chemical treatment plant.

The Corps and environmental regulators agreed with the water authority that pollution would be lowered to acceptable levels by evaporation, settling or dilution.