With valley lake water storage levels below 80%, voluntary water restrictions are now in place for all mountain properties. These restrictions will end once lake levels return to normal.
Yes, it seems odd to have water restrictions with snow on the ground and snowmaking operations underway.
Supplying the Wintergreen Mountain Community with drinking water was one of the first challenges the original developer needed to overcome. Water required to serve recreational amenities including mountain top golf and snowmaking added to the challenge. The solution to the problem relies on a combination of mountain wells and water storage ponds in Stoney Creek. The storage ponds in Stoney Creek are connected to the mountain through a series of pipes and pumping stations.
With normal rainfall, the water storage capacity in the Stoney Creek Ponds is adequate. During periods of drought and/or high demand, pond levels go down to meet the community needs. Rain events and reduced demand allow pond levels to quickly recover. Managing the water resources is done through a 3-party agreement between WPOA, Wintergreen Resort, and the Nelson County Service Authority. All three share in the responsibility to manage the community water resources.
The largest consumer of water at one time, involves snowmaking operations. During the Winter months, the snow making system can consume 2,700 gallons of water per minute from Lake Monocan. Most years, normal stream water flow into Lake Monacan is sufficient to keep lake water levels fairly constant. During periods of drought, lake levels can drop significantly, and remain low, until rain events return lake levels to normal. During periods of intense cold, the snowmaking system might run 24 hours a day for weeks at a time.
For much of December, the snowmaking system has been running near 100%, 24 hours a day, and stream water in-flow has not kept up. Recent natural snow is great for ski operations, however, it needs to melt to help with stream water flow. Occasional rain events are not ideal for ski operations, but, they help replenish snowmaking and drinking water reserves. The valley pond water levels have dropped below 80% combined capacity (approximately 80 million gallons in storage), triggering voluntary water restrictions on the mountain. Owners are asked to please be aware our water resources are limited, and conserve where they can. Please address water leaks and turn off water when homes are not occupied. NCSA provides a list of ways to conserve water here.
This is not an abnormal situation; we have been here numerous times before. The Winter of 2017-2018 created a very similar situation. WPOA, Wintergreen Resort and Nelson County Service Authority have decades of experience managing the community water resources and are counting on all of you to support the effort. Please conserve.
Wintergreen Resort has placed a pump at the Trout Pond. When needed, this pump will transfer water from the Trout Pond and the 2 ponds directly above.
The Trout Pond remains open for fishing, current fishing rules can be found here. Please use caution around the pump and associated equipment.
The Lake Monocan walking path remains open. Please use caution when crossing the hose used to transfer water between the ponds.
The water conservation plan is designed to ensure adequate water (40 million gallons) is reserved for emergency & potable water needs only. Aqua customers in Stoney Creek are not impacted by these restrictions. The Aqua water system utilizes numerous wells to supply water for valley customers. The Aqua system is not connected to the valley storage ponds.