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■ 01 November 2010 | 5:00 AM

Clarifying Gaston water ownership

RE 'WATER IS Norfolk's future,' letters, Oct. 21: Norfolk Councilman Paul R. Riddick suggested that if Norfolk could pump water from Lake Gaston and treat it for Virginia Beach, then it could certainly sell water to Newport News from the lakes that Norfolk owns in Suffolk and Isle of Wight. I wanted to make sure that the record clearly reflects that it was Virginia Beach in partnership with Chesapeake that struggled for 15 years to make the Lake Gaston project a reality.

Virginia Beach and Chesapeake own the Lake Gaston project, and Virginia Beach operates and maintains it on behalf of both cities pursuant to a partnership agreement. Virginia Beach delivers water to Norfolk's reservoirs in Isle of Wight and Suffolk. Pursuant to a water services agreement that compensates Norfolk based upon the cost of service plus a rate of return, Norfolk stores, conveys, treats and delivers water in Virginia Beach at water meters located at the border of the two cities. In the future, Norfolk may also participate in conveying raw water from Lake Gaston to Chesapeake.

While the Lake Gaston project benefits primarily Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, by freeing up surplus water that Norfolk formerly sold to Virginia Beach, Norfolk has been able to sell water to other jurisdictions in southside Hampton Roads. And as Councilman Riddick has suggested, perhaps in the future, even to Newport News.

Meyera E. Oberndorf
Virginia Beach
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