Annandale Water Company

The Annandale Water Company was a private company organized in 1946 by James A. McWhorter to provide water service to the residents of Annandale and nearby locations.[1]

McWhorter had built a house for himself as well as several other rental houses in Annandale and supplied all of them with a central water system.[1] When McWhorter sold the houses, he kept the water system he had built, which became the nucleus around which the rest of the Annandale Water Company was formed.[1]

On September 13, 1955, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to purchase the company for $950,000 as the first step towards creating an integrated water system for the county.[2] A lawsuit filed by several county residents and later joined by the Alexandria and Virginia Water Companies to block the purchase, which led to the BoS voting to postpone the completion of the sale until November 18, pending the results of a referendum on a proposed $30 million water bond issue.[3][4][5]

The failure of the referendum held in the elections of November 8 resulted in the BoS canceling the sale on November 16.[6]

The company was purchased by the Fairfax County Water Authority in 1959.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Annandale's McWhorter Holds Water Spotlight." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 18. Nov 03 1955. ProQuest. Web. 28 Sep. 2014.
  2. ↑ Smith, Marie. "Fairfax Will Buy Annandale Water Firm." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Sep 14 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  3. ↑ "Suit Seeks to Block Fairfax Water Purchase." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 21. Sep 22 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  4. ↑ "2 Firms Sue to Block Fairfax Water System." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 21. Sep 29 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  5. ↑ "Fairfax Supervisors Vote 6 to 1 to Delay Water Co. Deal Until Nov. 18." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 17. Oct 04 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  6. ↑ "Water Plant Deal Dropped by Fairfax." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 25. Nov 17 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.