Water Takes Center Stage at Town Council Meeting

pulaski vaBy DAVID QUESENBERRY

Patriot Publishing 

In a shortened meeting Tuesday night, water became the center of discussion as Pulaski Town Council moved to appropriate grant funds received for projects involving the Town’s water system.

Council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-24 which appropriated $660,085 in funds received from the Virginia Department of Health’s Virginia Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Austin Painter, Project Engineer told Council that the grant would be used to prepare a full set of design plans for the Raw Water Pump Station. The funds would also be used to upgrade the Town’s SCADA system, which allows the Town to remotely control and monitor pump stations and tanks. He said the amount of the grant would cover the two projects and the vote of Council was required to begin expenditure of the funds.

During the Council Comments period, Councilman Brooks Dawson asked Town Manager Todd Day if the recent rains had resulted in any improvement at Gatewood.

“Very little,” he responded. However, Day noted the recent rains were raising the water level by six inches at a time.

“I was concerned three months ago,” Day said, “and I’m more concerned now.”

Day told Council that the Town had been in contact with the Virginia Department of Health.

“We’ve got meetings with the County coming up for backup sources. It’s going to take some cooperation throughout the region to make it happen. Unfortunately, we’ve been forced into it because of Gatewood and the unknowns,” he said.

Day told Council if there was no further rainfall, Gatewood still has an 80-day supply of water that is being added to daily at a very slow rate. “We’re keeping an eye on it every single day. It’s got digital telemetry that we’re looking at plus we’re taking a number of road trips every week to look at it physically.”

Day said he talked with Mike Valach, operator of the Gatewood campground and was told the drought had a detrimental effect on park operations. He said that Valach would be appearing before Council for “some level of cooperation,” although Day said he did not know what that would be.

“But I do know they have been tremendously impacted,” he added. Referring to Gatewood, Day said, “That is a jewel up there. That park is unbelievably beautiful and it’s an asset to the Town.” He said he would be working with Valach on the situation.

In continuing the discussion on water during the Manager’s Report, Day said issues with the water system had been on the table about 13 years. He maintained that the Town had been transparent with the conditions at the Water Plant having the public, Council and the media being made aware of the situation.

Two years ago, Day continued, the Town implemented and is presently involved in the process of a $25 million Water Capital Improvement Project.

“We are absolutely doing it not because we want to, we are doing it in the best interest of water quality and the continuation of that,” he said.

Regarding a Notice of Violation that was sent out, Day said there was a huge margin of safety that is recognized. The town was five one-hundredths off on that reading and would probably have it happen again. “The water that’s coming out of that water plant is absolutely high quality water. There is a factor of safety of three or four on those reports that the Health Department demands we get. I can assure you that if the Virginia Department of Health felt like there was any danger in consuming that water, they would have turned it off a minimum of 13 years ago. We are adamantly working on it, but it comes at a cost. It’s very unfortunate and I certainly understand the input from the citizens that don’t want to see it happen because of cost.”

The Town would continue to adamantly address the issue to the best of its ability, he said.

The next scheduled meeting of the Pulaski Town Council will be at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 in the Council Chambers of the Town Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W.