The entire shoreline of the Carvins Cove Reservoir could soon be in public hands.
A $175,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation will initiate talks with the owners of a 46-acre tract at the reservoirâs southern tip â the last remaining privately owned piece of waterfront property.
The grant was awarded to the Western Virginia Water Authority, which co-owns and manages the reservoir and a surrounding 12,700-acre natural reserve with the city of Roanoke.
âCarvins Cove is the primary source of drinking water for residents in the valley, and land conservation activities such as these protect water quality and expand low-impact recreational activities in the valley,â read a statement released Monday by authority spokeswoman Sarah Baumgardner.