Background
The city of Newport News and several other localities want to build a water supply reservoir in King William County. The project entails the withdrawal of up to 75 million gallons per day (mgd) of water from the tidal, freshwater portion of the Mattaponi River. It would also involve building a 78-foot high, 1,700-foot long earthen dam on Cohoke Creek, a tributary of the Pamunkey River, resulting in the creation of a 1,526-acre reservoir. Pipelines would be constructed to transfer water from the Mattaponi River to the reservoir, and from the reservoir to Newport News' existing water supply system in New Kent County.
The Mattaponi River is the most pristine fresh water tidal river left in Virginia. It is the home of huge fresh water tidal wetlands and is the most important shad spawning ground in the state. The reservoir will destroy more than 400 acres of wetlands, the largest authorized wetlands loss in the entire mid-Atlantic region in the 30-year history of the Clean Water Act. It will inundate 21 miles of free-flowing streams, wiping out the unique Cohoke Creek watershed. In addition, 187 acres of wetlands located below the dam would be severely degraded due to reduced flow in Cohoke Creek. The reservoir would also threaten recovery efforts for the fragile shad fishery.
Two Indian tribes, the Mattaponi and the Pamunkey, are located in King William County with each of their reservations located along the banks of the rivers which bear their names. Both tribes attach significant cultural and economic importance to the shad fisheries of these rivers and both tribes operate hatcheries to support and increase the very shad populations that are now endangered by the reservoir project. In addition to this threat, over 100 significant Native American archaeological sites have already been identified in the Cohoke Valley area that will be flooded as part of this project.
All of these impacts could be avoided. All of the expert reports show that Newport News has greatly inflated its future water needs. The city can meet its legitimate water needs by alternative means that do not involve construction of a reservoir.
Latest Updates
The latest King William Reservoir updates can be found at the websites of two friends of MPRA:
Alliance To Save the Mattaponi
Southern Environmental Law Center