Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series examining the 15th anniversary of Isle of Wight County signing its 2009 Norfolk Water Deal and its impacts. The second will focus on the deal’s impact on county water rates.
This month marks the 15th anniversary of the Western Tidewater Water Authority, formed from Isle of Wight County and the city of Suffolk, signing its costly 2009 Norfolk Water Deal.
Since each locality began paying its annual share of the then-$146 million agreement, Isle of Wight has spent an estimated $4.6 million to date on water that’s gone unused.
The 40-year deal, now estimated to cost the WTWA roughly $300 million, allocates Isle of Wight 25% and Suffolk 75% of the WTWA’s intake from Norfolk through 2048.
In 2013, when Norfolk allotted the WTWA an initial 3 million gallons per day, Isle of Wight was only able to use 350,000, or 46%, of its 750,000 gallon per day share, and paid over $188,000 for its unused portion, according to county estimates of its annual usage.