DATE: Thursday, February 27, 1997           TAG: 9702270001

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A15  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Opinion 

SOURCE: Patrick Lackey 

                                            LENGTH:   94 lines

EIGHT PENINSULA LOCALITIES HAVE WATER AGREEMENTS, NOT WARS

Who can keep track of South Hampton Roads' water wars?

The last I heard, if Norfolk doesn't sue Suffolk over water, Virginia Beach might sue Norfolk, or maybe Virginia Beach will join Norfolk in suing Suffolk. Whatever happens, it will be nasty, and everybody will get angry. In South Hampton Roads, water brings out the worst in people.

Meanwhile, on the Peninsula, four cities and four counties are cooperating on a $120 million project to gain 27 million more gallons of water per day, enough to serve them all through 2045. In a process that began in 1987 and is plugging smoothly along, no one has sued anybody yet. Knock on wood.

Peninsula officials say they learned from Virginia Beach's troubled attempt to obtain water mainly on its own that a cooperative regional approach would work better.

Now South Hampton Roads needs to learn from the Peninsula that a cooperative regional approach stands the best chance of obtaining water.

I hope Virginia Beach gets Lake Gaston water, partly because I live in Virginia Beach. Even if it does, however, future attempts to obtain water will surely be futile unless they are truly regional. The reason is that regulatory agencies look with far more favor these days on regionwide efforts. They see water shortages as regional problems requiring regional solutions.

When the Peninsula attempt to obtain more water began, every locality on the Peninsula as far north as Richmond was invited to participate. Richmond, which gets ample freshwater from the James River above the falls, declined.

The cities of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson and Williamsburg, plus the counties of James City and York, combined to form the Regional Raw Water Study Group.

No adequate freshwater source existed within their boundaries. They studied 31 options, one of them Lake Gaston.

They settled on this plan:

Pump water from the Mattaponi River to a 1,526-acre reservoir to be built in King William County a mile and a half away. Pump water from that reservoir, as needed, to an existing Newport News Waterworks reservoir in New Kent County about 9 miles away. Share water with those two host counties.

King William County's approval was required, naturally. So the water-study group essentially asked the county, What can we do for you?

County officials said they wanted to own the reservoir land. The study group said that was fine. The property would be leasedfrom the county.

County officials said they wanted 11 percent of the water for their own use. The study group said fine.

County officials said they wanted five accesses to the lake for recreational users. The study group said fine.

And so it went. Slowly, but surely. A deal was also made with New Kent County.

At one time James City County withdrew from the water-study group to pursue water on its own. That effort was quickly knocked down by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which indicated its preference for regional efforts. After unsuccessfully suing EPA, James City County rejoined the water-study group.

The Peninsula does not have a regional water authority, but it is acting as though it does, through mutual agreements among localities.

A bit of explanatory history: In 1926, Newport News bought a private waterworks. Currently, Newport News Waterworks delivers treated water to residences and businesses in Poquoson, Hampton, Newport News and the southern half of York and James City counties. All those residences and businesses are charged the same hookup and water rates as Newport News residences and businesses pay. (By contrast, Norfolk sells treated water in volume to Virginia Beach, which sets the rates for its residents and distributes water to them.)

The city of Newport News, as owner of the regional water supply system, receives an annual return of about $7 million on its investment.

But again, the waterworks' customers in different cities and counties all pay the same rates. And they are all cooperating in obtaining a new source of water.

When visiting the Peninsula, one is struck by the fact the localities don't dislike each other. They are inclined to cooperate. They even wish each other well.

Consider the makeup of the water-study group's board. It consists of one representative each from Newport News, Williamsburg and York County, with James City an unofficial member that comments at meetings.

It could be argued that the board makeup is senseless, because York County and Williamsburg are far smaller than Newport News and not all participating localities are directly represented. But the study group always seeks, and so far always has obtained, consensus among the members. The distribution of power is not so important when the water group's aim is consensus. No one is cramming anything down anybody's throat. That road leads to courtrooms.

Besides, any agreements the study group makes must be ratified by the governing bodies of all the affected localities. So far, all have been.

When the water-study group began looking for water in 1987, it said the search would take 20 years. The prediction was fairly accurate. It appears the first water from the King William County reservoir may be available in 2005.

Then the Peninsula's water problems will be solved till 2045.

Of course, planning for an additional water source by 2045 will have to begin in 2025. Presumably that effort will be regional. MEMO: Mr. Lackey is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot.

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