A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has invalidated a permit for a reservoir in King William County.

The ruling late Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy is a victory for environmental groups and the Mattaponi Indian tribe. They claimed the project would hurt the environment by destroying wetlands and streams.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the permit in 2005 to the city of Newport News, which wants to build the reservoir to meet its residents' water needs. The corps and the city could appeal Kennedy's ruling to the federal appeals court in D.C.