Montgomery County Supervisors were told Monday evening that it is highly unlikely a new, high-end development in the northeastern region of the county will affect the well water of homes nearby.

In April, both the supervisors and county planning commissioners expressed concern about the effect the 67 homes proposed for 1.5-acre lots could have, citing worries that residents nearby already had over wells with low water. The county commissioned a study of the area north of New Ridge Road and west of Bradshaw Road in Elliston to determine how new wells would affect existing ones.

Ted Dean, who conducted the study and is the president of Advanced Technical Services in Christiansburg, said that the underground water supply likely contains 12 times the water it would need to support homes there.

"You could make the argument that this basin could support as much as 6,000 homes," Dean told supervisors. "I also think it'll be rare for any lot to not provide an adequate water well."

Developer Lynn Reese proposed the expansion of The Ridges subdivision and said that most of the objections regarding well water have come from a resident who lives near the proposed development. Reese has asked the county to rezone 224 acres for the expansion.

"There was never an issue until I started developing behind her house," Reese said of the resident. "The water level was right where it was supposed to be."

Fenton Well Drilling owner Wayne Fenton, who also attended the Monday meeting, said the well problems on the property Reese referenced were caused by irrigation.

"If I had to choose between cooking and cleaning and flushing and watering plants, I'd choose the cooking and cleaning," Fenton said.

During his presentation, Dean told supervisors that the geology of the area meant some wells performed better than others. But the distance that would exist between wells at The Ridges would make it "unlikely for two wells to interact with one another."

He added that even poorly performing areas shouldn't pose a problem if residents install storage tanks to act as buffers.

Still, Supervisor Gary Creed appeared skeptical, telling Dean that "two or three folks say their wells went dry because of wells a half a mile away." Dean said it was "very, very unlikely" that wells a half-mile away would interact with others.

Creed also expressed concerns that Dean may not have taken into account that "most of our water is taken up by trees and grass and animals."

Dean said that of the 40 inches of water below the surface, wells only tap into about nine inches of the supply.