Fairfax County Water Authority

The Fairfax County Water Authority, abbreviated FCWA and also known by the trade name Fairfax Water, is the public utility that supplies water to Fairfax County.

The FCWA is overseen by a 10-member board of directors, with each director appointed to a three-year term by a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The current Chairman is Philip W. Allin, the member from the Sully District.

The FCWA operates two water treatment plants, the Corbalis Treatment Plant, which draws its water from the Potomac River, and the Griffith Treatment Plant, which draws its water from the Occoquan River. It also previously operated the Lorton Water Treatment Plant until 2006 and the Occoquan Water Treatment Plant until 2007.

History

The authority has its roots in the failure of a referendum for a $30 million bond issue in 1955. The county had sought to create an integrated water system from the patchwork of private and municipal water systems in the county.

To this end, the Board agreed to purchase the Annandale Water Company for $950,000 on September 13, 1955.[1] Several county taxpayers, later joined by the Alexandria and Virginia Water companies, sued to block the purchase.[2][3]

Confronted with this resistance, the Board in a 6-1 vote decided on October 3 to postpone the purchase of the Annandale Water Company until November 18.[4]

Following the defeat of the bond issue in the election of November 8, the Board of Supervisors voted 5-1 on November 16 to cancel the purchase.[5]

The county decided to create a separate water authority, which would have the ability to issue bonds without the inconvenience of requiring voter approval.[6]

On September 18, 1957, the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution to create the Fairfax County Water Authority, which was chartered by the Virginia State Corporation Commission on September 22.[7][8]

On November 19, 1958, FCWA board Chairman Samuel E. Neel announced that the authority had been awarded the franchise to supply water to the new airport planned for construction near Chantilly.[9]

The City of Fairfax City Council voted unanimously on April 9, 2013, to join Fairfax Water, turning over its municipal water system and paying $20 million for the privilege.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ "Suit Seeks to Block Fairfax Water Purchase." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 21. Sep 22 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "Water Plant Deal Dropped by Fairfax." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 25. Nov 17 1955. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
  6. ↑ "Fairfax Acts to Set Up County Water System." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Aug 01 1957. ProQuest. Web. 10 Sep. 2016.
  7. ↑ Guinn, Muriel. "Supervisors Vote 5-Man Authority to Put Fairfax in Water Business." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Sep 19 1957. ProQuest. Web. 10 Sep. 2016.
  8. ↑ Corbalis, James J., Jr. "Completion of the Fairfax County Water Authority Acquisition Program." Journal (American Water Works Association) 61.3 (1969): 139-44.
  9. ↑ Guinn, Muriel P. "Fairfax County Gets Chantilly Water Contract." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Nov 20 1958. ProQuest. Web. 3 Aug. 2014.
  10. ↑ Ross, Victoria. "City Votes 6-0 to Get Out of Water Business." Connection Newspapers. Connection Newspapers, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
  11. ↑ Jackman, Tom. "Fairfax City Votes to Join Fairfax Water, Great Water Wars of Fairfax County Nearly over." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.

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