As a resident of Rockingham county I have a few concerns about the  proposed Energix Endless Caverns site. To begin, my biggest concern would be that of Smith Creek running along the whole eastern border of the site. This should certainly make runoff a major concern of the project. Impacts of potentially contaminated water due to panels being potentially compromised would haunt the surrounding area for years with contaminated wells and drinking water. This site as well as thousands more downstream rely on the creek and groundwater to water their cattle and for drinking water. On hot summer days I presume the surface of these panels would be well above 150 degrees, that’s equivalent to having a paved parking lot draining straight into the creek. With such hot runoff, one can only assume that the creek temperature will rise. How will this rise in temperature affect the aquatic life of the creek? Will it increase the evaporation rate of the slow moving mid-summer waters? None of these things have been studied, but should be before any approval is made.
This site is A1 agriculture and has a very high sustainability value as A1 agriculture according to Virginia department of conservation maps. Rockingham county is a prominent leader in agriculture and thousands of families depend on it. We should not be using agriculture land for such ventures. The A1 A2 zoning are meant to protect the land and prevent such things. Where do we plan on getting food from one day? We are already facing a global food shortage. Is it responsible of us to let our resource be consumed?

One thing that needs no study is the visual impact of the scenic landscape. As residents of this area our voices have fell on deaf ears. Hopefully you will take these comments into careful consideration and reject Endless Caverns Energix site. Thank you for your time