UPDATE: Newport News abandons plans for King William reservoir
Newport News Mayor Joe Frank said today the city’s two-decade-long effort to develop a reservoir in King William County is dead.
“It’s certainly something that had to happen — the termination of the project,“ Frank said in a telephone interview this afternoon.
Frank’s words followed the circulation today of a Sept. 16 memo from interim acting City Manager Neil A. Morgan that called for ending the project.
“[It] is recommended than the [reservoir] project be terminated,“ Morgan wrote.
The project has appeared dead since April, when a federal judge struck down an Army Corps of Engineers’ permit for the lake, saying in effect it would wreak too much destruction on the environment.
Opponents have said the $250 million project would destroy more than 430 acres of wetlands, threaten rare American shad and flood Indian archaeological sites.
Newport News has spent nearly $55 million on the project.
Morgan’s memo went up on Newport News’ Web site last week, but it got wider circulation today when reservoir opponents publicized it.
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Reader Reactions
Question Govt,
Well said! Thank you!
Come on DC don’t let your kool-aid damaged brain show to everyone else. This has been going on for 20 years. Long before Bush. You have been brainwashed by the liberals. NN liberal democrats believing they have the right to seize anything they want especially from Native Americans started it. By the way it was Bush appointees that finally did the NN project in.
This is kind of like Juan Manuel Marquez conceding the match to Floyd Mayweather after he gets knocked out in the second round! What a laugh. The only reason this pig went on as long as it did was thanks to Bush appointed judges and dingleberry-picking scrubs Bush had appointed to posts.
While it is certainly regrettable, not to mention inexcusable, that millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted, the final result is laudable in that the rights, best interests, and heritage of Native Americans have finally been respected - albeit by court action rather than by sincere governmental concern. The abuse, disrespect, and discrimination to which Native Americans have been subjected for centuries is shameful and inexcusable.
If an adequate water supply is a legitimate concern in Newport News, technology has advanced to a point where desalinization and other techniques provide a better alternative. It is a shame that self-serving politicians wasted so many taxpayer dollars rather than explore the adaptation of techniques which the US Navy has used aboard ship to provide supplies of fresh, potable water.
Wow! 55 Million on something that is NOT going to be built! Next time? Just spend the money on a poll asking people if they want it or not.
Two decades and 55 million of tax money they finally wise up. All still employed or elected to represent the people of Newport News that had anything to do with this should be tossed out on the street.
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