Friday's closing of the sale of the City of Falls Church Water System to Fairfax Water ends the long legal battle between the two entities and begins the process of merging these two water systems, according to a joint news release.
“Fairfax Water is pleased to welcome the customers of the Falls Church Water System to our family of 1.7 million northern Virginians who receive water service from Fairfax Water. We look forward to continuing our history of providing exceptional service, quality, and reliability to our customers,” said Philip W. Allin, Chairman of Fairfax Water.
"The sale of the water utility system is a win-win situation for the City, the County, water customers, and water employees," said Mayor Nader Baroukh. "The new year brings many positive changes for the City."
In November 2012, the City of Falls Church, Fairfax Water, and Fairfax County, with the assistance of a federal mediator, successfully negotiated terms for the sale of the Falls Church Water Utility to Fairfax Water.
In signing the final papers today, Fairfax Water purchased the Falls Church water system for $40 million, transferred employment of the City’s water system employees to Fairfax Water, and guaranteed the reduction of water rates for the City of Falls Church water system customers to equalize to the Fairfax Water rates within two years.
This agreement also included a boundary adjustment that transferred 38.4 acres of land into the City of Falls Church. The largest parcel includes the 36 acres on which the City's George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School sit. Additional parcels totaling 2.4 acres near Gordon and Shreve Roads are also included.
The sale will create a more robust water system that includes three independent water treatment plants and will integrate the pipelines, tanks and pumping stations that now serve the area.
