THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505120172
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On the Street
SOURCE: Bill Reed
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Quick. Bring on the Alka Seltzer!
That Lake Gaston Pipeline deal with North Carolina is about to come apart like a cheap suit.
An antacid may ease that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach brought about by visions of millions upon millions of taxpayers' dollars - already spent pursuing the pipeline - flying out the window on feathery wings.
The time may be nigh to act on that sudden urge to invest in well-drilling equipment, pave over your entire yard with concrete, build a huge retaining tank on your roof and sign up a Navajo medicine man to make rain.
It appears that Norfolk, the city that has supplied Virginia Beach with H2O since it became a city in 1963, is about to throw a giant monkey wrench into the city's water withdrawal deal with North Carolina.
After months of silence during ongoing negotiations, it has finally dawned on the fearless leaders of our sister city that if Virginia Beach gets its own water source, Norfolk won't reap the financial rewards - i.e. $6 million a year - it has heretofore enjoyed by selling water to Virginia Beach. Imagine that.
And, Norfolk officials now say they are totally miffed, yes, even indignant, that they were not ``adequately'' consulted when the agreement with North Carolina was struck.
The April 28 settlement apparently would prevent Norfolk from selling its surplus water outside South Hampton Roads, the good burghers of Norfolk argue.
Huh? Are we missing something here?
How could a Virginia Beach agreement bind Norfolk, without Norfolk's prior consent or knowledge? How could something that so vitally affects Norfolk - even the entire area - fail to come to the attention of its top officials until after an agreement was signed?
And, why are Norfolk officials waiting until now to bellyache about the pact? And another thing, why are Norfolk politicos - at the state and local levels - suddenly threatening to torpedo the deal in the General Assembly?
Give up?
Well, the answer, folks, is M-O-N-E-Y. And power. Norfolk, after leading the charge for regional cooperation in tourism, economic development, highway construction and tiddlywinks, still wants to call the shots in Hampton Roads.
Why? Because that's what it has always done.
But, Norfolk isn't the only area wielding a big monkey wrench. Lawmakers in Southside Virginia are cranking up the rhetoric about the ``folly'' and ``injustice'' of a pipeline deal.
They vow to derail the water package when or if it even comes before a special session of the state legislature in June.
Southside pols say the Gaston pipeline would seriously undermine economic development in an area south of the James River by siphoning off water from a source vital to their region's well-being and piping it to a bunch of no-count city slickers in Virginia Beach.
They also argue that Southside has been left out of any agreement that Virginia Beach has reached with North Carolina.
Well, there you have it, folks, a sad thumbnail summary of some of the roadblocks facing Virginia Beach in its 12 1/2-year pursuit of an independent water source. And, we haven't even heard from the residents of Northeastern North Carolina yet.
Reminds you of one of those TV soap operas, doesn't it?
No matter how long you wait between episodes, the plot never changes. Those perennial problems never seem to be solved.
For instance, will we ever know if John will marry Marsha, despite the fact that she is pregnant with Lance's child? Or, how about Valery, John's ex-wife and fellow brain surgeon at Gotham General Hospital? Will she ever reveal that she, too, has had a liaison with Lance, the studly tennis pro at the country club?
Tune in tomorrow to find out what happens.
KEYWORDS: LAKE GASTON PIPELINE by CNB