An archaeologist who participated in the survey of a proposed water pumping station on the James River at Point of Fork said in a sworn statement that work conducted at the site was “illegal, unethical, and unscientific”.
A whistleblower alleged that he observed “unethical” practices during recent archeological work at the location where Louisa County hopes to build a water pump station near the banks of the James River.
The authority in charge of a water project in Fluvanna County is now investigating a consultant’s archaeological work on the contentious project, after a former employee came forward with allegations of unethical practices by the consultant.
For centuries, a site in central Virginia was capital of the Monacan Indian Nation. Today it’s owned by Fluvanna and Louisa Counties and officials plan to build a water pump there. They say the infrastructure is needed to provide water to residents and businesses in Zion Crossroads.
I am not sure which is more disturbing: the vigorous defense by the James River Water Authority of its consultant or its apparent failure to verify her credentials for overseeing the disturbance of one of the Monacan Indians’ most important sites as it plans to locate a water intake station there on the James River.
Copyright © 2025 Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC. All rights reserved.
