CLEARFIELD – Board members of the Clearfield County Recreation and Tourism Authority granted permission to the BCI Municipal Authority to conduct test drills on its property at the Wopsononock Natural Area located in the bottom half of the county.
Terry Malloy, board member, said the CCRTA controls 500 acres and BCI has proposed drilling on a portion of that area.
“They’re looking for more water sources in case of a drought and expanding to serve more customers,” he said.
According to Vice Chairman, Wilson Fisher, BCI has plans to drill close to springs but said he was uncertain about their reasons for doing so.
He recommended the board permit the drilling at BCI’s own risk.
“If Terry and Wilson have made a suggestion based on their knowledge, I think we’d be foolish to stand in the way,” Board Member, Nancy Micks said.
Board members also discussed the possibility of turning this portion of the property over to BCI in the future.
Micks asked Malloy if there were any negatives to turning the land over to them.
“No. I’d actually feel better if we did,” he said. “We encompass the area they already own. We don’t use it and shouldn’t be in there.”
Malloy said he didn’t want visitors in this specified area or using it for outdoor activities such as horseback riding.
Board Member Mark McCracken advised the board to postpone turning the land over to BCI until the process has been further reviewed and discussed.
“We should look at one motion to grant permission for right now,” he said.
Board Member Gene Kephart added the drilling should be permitted provided BCI has obtained the necessary permits, sticks with the proposed plans and returns the property to “aesthetically pleasing” conditions.
The authority’s strategic planning committee will continue discussions about whether to turn the land over to BCI.