The scene: A public hearing meeting at Zion Crossroads last Wednesday held by the James River Water Authority (JRWA). The topic: the proposed water intake and pumping station to be built in Fluvanna County on the site of the historical village of the Monacan Indian Nation known as Rassawek.
Over objections of a vocal group of citizens, the James River Water Authority (JRWA) unanimously approved a motion to move forward with an application to the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a water pumping station atop a site the Monacan Indian Nation believes to be the remains of their historic capital of Rassawek.
A Virginia utility is proposing to build a raw water intake and pump station on a sacred Monacan Indian Nation heritage site. In a letter to the James River Water Authority and local leaders, SELC and Preservation Virginia urged the utility to select an alternative location.
It has come to my attention that several of you are assuring your constituents that the Monacan Indian Nation will capitulate to the destruction of its historic capital at Rassawek on Point of Fork if the James River Water Authority “writes a big enough check to the Indians.”
The Monacan Indian Nation says it wants to work with the James River Water Authority to determine if a site two miles upstream from the planned pump station and water pipeline is a reasonable alternative.
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