History Behind the Formation of the Authority
Beginning in the late 1920’s, the water supply for Blacksburg and Virginia Tech became a matter of grave concern – concern which became increasingly acute as the water demands of both entities continued to rise.
Numerous surveys and studies were made over the years of nearby sources of supply, such as surface water, springs, and wells. None of these sources were found feasible to take care of the expanded use of water throughout the area, to say nothing of allowing for future growth.
On several occasions, engineering teams were hired to explore the possibility of using nearby springs and wells to supplement a critically short water supply. After repeated investigations, it was determined that the New River was the only practical water supply for the area.
The catalyst that initiated the formation of the Authority was a special act of the Virginia legislature in 1950 that created the Water and Waste Authorities Act (§15.2-5100). This act enabled one or more localities to form an authority.
In the study phase, the project involved Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, but interest from Christiansburg, who was also facing issues with providing adequate water supply, led to the formation of the Blacksburg, Christiansburg, V.P.I. Water Authority.
The organization of the Water Authority provided and instrument through which a concerted cooperative effort could be made to secure the needed supply of water for all concerned.
The Water Authority was chartered by the State Corporation Commission on September 15, 1954. Since that time, many improvements have been made including expansion of the filtration plant, additional transmission lines, and many others!
In the early 2000’s, Montgomery County expressed an interest in joining the Authority. Through a concerted effort by the existing Authority members and Montgomery County, the County joined the Authority on July 1, 2013. The Blacksburg, Christiansburg, V.P.I. Water Authority was renamed to the NRV Regional Water Authority.
Since July 2013, the NRV Regional Water Authority is evaluating potential transmission line alignments to provide redundancy to its members. Additionally, the Montgomery County PSA is evaluating distribution line alignments to connect its individual water systems to the regional water system.