The debate over the region's water supply -- where it should come from, where it should be pumped to and who should be in charge of it all -- has been going on for years.

As the conversation continues, there have been some relatively quiet moves toward the completion of a regional system in which Smith Mountain Lake water could be pumped into the Roanoke Valley.

"Smith Mountain Lake has always been considered [as a water source]," said Gary Robertson, executive director of water operations at Western Virginia Water Authority. Tapping the lake as a full-fledged regional water source is likely still years down the road with a number of additional hurdles to clear, but localities near the lake are taking steps toward the idea. And the water authority, hailed when it was formed in 2004 as a quintessential regional solution, continues to extend its reach:

• Work is under way to extend water lines from Clearbrook in Roanoke County, down U.S. 220 into Franklin County to Wirtz Road, an extension of the water authority's system. The $5.5 million project started earlier this year and is expected to take two years.

• In September, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved the water authority's purchase of smaller water systems from developers with subdivisions along Scruggs Road in the Westlake area.

Combining and expanding the systems will cost about $2.5 million, Robertson said.

The steps are part of a plan that could soon tie Bedford and Franklin counties' water lines together in the lake area, which would only leave a gap of about 15 miles between the water authority's Roanoke system and the fledgling Franklin County system. Bridging that gap would complete a system for water from the lake to be pumped into the Roanoke Valley.

The water authority is planning to combine the systems from the lake subdivisions -- The Waterfront, The Boardwalk and The Farm -- which run on underground well water, and extend service up Scruggs Road to the Dairy Queen at Westlake, Robertson said.

Officials from Franklin and Bedford counties also plan to meet soon to discuss the 15-year contract that allows Bedford County to provide water to the northeast portion of Franklin County, Franklin County Assistant Administrator Larry Moore said.

Through that agreement, Bedford County supplies up to 400,000 gallons of water per day to the commercial and residential developments of the Westlake area.

While Bedford County provides the water for a fee, Franklin County owns and maintains the water line that begins near Hales Ford Bridge and stretches down Virginia 122 to Westlake Towne Center and stops at the Dairy Queen.

If Bedford County agrees, the new Scruggs Road water line would hook up to the existing line on Virginia 122 and the water authority would manage a Franklin County system, Moore said.

"The intent is for Franklin County to have one complete water system," Robertson said.

A public hearing is planned for Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at Trinity Ecumenical Church in Moneta to introduce residents to the water authority -- which already provides water for Roanoke and Roanoke County -- and discuss possible rate changes, Robertson said.

Also, Franklin County officials are applying for a permit to withdraw water from the lake, and several other localities have expressed an interest in doing so in the future, said John Shelpelwich, Appalachian Power Co. spokesman.

Franklin County's withdrawal permit for a 2.5 million gallons-per-day allowance is in anticipation of building a water plant on the south side of the lake.

Though that plant may never be built, county officials want the permit in hand to move forward whenever the decision is made, County Administrator Rick Huff said.

The movement toward using Smith Mountain Lake as a regional source was bolstered by a 2003 study, financed by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, that determined the lake to be the best long-term water supply for the region.

More specifically, the study found:

• A water plant on the lake is the cheapest way for Bedford and Franklin counties to satisfy their combined water needs.

• To serve the rest of the region, a water treatment plant could be expanded and a pipeline could be constructed to connect to Roanoke County's system.

• The study describes enlarging Carvins Cove and using the expanded space to store raw water from the lake as an inexpensive alternative to serve Vinton, Salem, Roanoke County, Roanoke and half of Botetourt County.

Wayne Strickland, director of the regional commission, agrees that usage of the lake is a possibility. But instead of the lake being a primary source, Strickland sees it as more of a backup for the Roanoke Valley during extreme drought conditions.

Working with 13 localities, including Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Franklin, Botetourt and Bedford counties, the water authority and regional commission are developing another long-term regional water supply plan.

The new study is tied to a requirement from the state, in response to the 2002 drought, that localities create a drought plan, Robertson said. It will include much of the information from the 2003 study as well as updated information.

Strickland estimates the new plan will be completed and passed on for public inspection and government approval by the end of the year.