Falls Church Council Takes Preliminary Vote to Sell City Water Authority

The debate on whether Falls Church Water should be sold or not is on.

Prior to last week's city council meeting where council approved the first reading of an ordinance to sell the water system, a group of citizens protested against the sale of the water company. Those against the sale fear it will mean higher water rates, lost utility jobs that will lead to poorer quality service, and a loss of local accountability over decisions related to the water system.

“Water is one of our most precious resources and should not become a commodity to be sold off to the highest bidder,” Ryan Scarborough said in a written statement. “We are not just talking about rates here. A sale would mean that the community would no longer have a real say in how their drinking water is delivered to them.”

In a separate statement, Vice Mayor Dave Snyder said water rates would be frozen for a year after the sale. The State Corporation Commission would oversee the rates if Falls Church Water is sold to a private company, Snyder said.

The city sent out a in February and received interest from . is one of the suitors interested in the 33-square mile water system. The successful bidder must guarantee employment of current workers for a year. The minimum bid has been set at $44 million.

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

Members of For Local Ownership of Water (FLOW) and Food & Water Watch have spoken out against the sale of the water company since the city approved the bidding.

“Our research of water rates in 20 states has shown that private water utilities cost rate payers as much as 75 percent more than public water,” Miranda Carter, the Virginia organizer for Food & Water Watch said in a statement. “ There’s a reason why almost 90 percent of Americans receive their water from public utilities and Falls Church residents should be very worried about what this will mean for their rates in the long run.”