THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210484
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 51 lines
Virginia Beach made a legal request Thursday for detailed information explaining how Norfolk's new water supply report found more water in the region.
The report, released this week, shows Norfolk could provide as much as 18 million gallons more water per day over the long term.
Virginia Beach officials, who fear the study will be used by opponents of the Lake Gaston pipeline, dispute the conclusions of the nearly five-year-long study. They have not been able to conduct a detailed analysis of the study and hone their criticisms, however, because Norfolk has given the Beach only the final report, not the research that went into it.
Beach City Attorney Leslie L. Lilley, who filed the formal request under the state's Freedom of Information Act on Thursday, said he cannot recall making a similar request with another municipality.
``Normally jurisdictions are cooperative with each other and freely share information,'' he said Thursday afternoon.
In a June 13 letter, Norfolk offered to provide the backup data, on the condition that Virginia Beach discuss its questions and comments with Norfolk officials before making any concerns public. The cities had scheduled a meeting for Monday to exchange technical information, but Virginia Beach officials canceled the get-together.
Norfolk City Attorney Philip R. Trapani said Thursday that his city has tried, and will continue to try, to provide Virginia Beach with the information it says it needs.
``We've received Mr. Lilley's letter, and we are considering his request, much of which we intend to comply with sooner than required under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act,'' Trapani said.
Trapani would not say if he or the City Council would decide to withhold any of the requested information. Under state law, governing bodies must release all requested records unless they fall under one of 61 exemptions. Norfolk has 10 days under the law to respond.
Virginia Beach has asked for the computer model on which the water supply projections were based; rainfall and stream-flow records used to determine how much water enters the area; information on Norfolk's pumping of the Blackwater and Nottoway rivers; and all the city's correspondence with state and federal regulatory agencies over the past five years.
Louis Guy, director of public utilities in Norfolk, said he would feel better about handing over the information if he didn't think it would be used to try to discredit a study he considers one of the best of its kind.
``If you have decided that you have a purpose of demolishing this report,'' Guy said, ``and you have decided you need this information to go on a fishing expedition to see . . . what you can concoct with this report, why should we cooperate with that?'' by CNB