Auction for Falls Church Water Off Until Further Notice

The auction for Falls Church Water, which supplies McLean,  scheduled for last week has been canceled until further notice.

The Office of Legal Counsel of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided a written opinion on March 8 stating the Washington Aqueduct was authorized to sell water to an investor or government owned water system, according to a release from the city Thursday night.

According to the release, the city “relied on this written determination in moving forward with an open, fair and competitive bid process.”

Council approved the sale of the water company in April and set the minimum acceptable bid at $44 million. The city sent out a in February and received interest from and was one of the suitors interested in the 33-square mile water system.

The city’s sewage system is not included in the sale.

The auction is the latest chapter in a long-running battle between Falls Church and its Fairfax customers over rates.

Falls Church City charges higher rates than Fairfax Water. Ninety percent of Falls Church customers, which includes McLean, are county residents.

The Fairfax Board of Supervisors has passed a law saying by July 1 Falls Church must justify the higher rates to county officials.