The autoionization dynamics of water molecules induced by Ne*(P-3(2,0)) collisions has been studied. The energy dependence of the total ionization cross section is measured together with relative abundances of product ions in the 0.05-0.15 eV range. The data are analyzed by using an optical potential model within a semiclassical approach. The real part of the potential is formulated applying a semiempirical method, while the imaginary part has been used in the fitting procedure of the data adjusting its pre-exponential factor. The good agreement between calculations and experiment confirms the attractive nature of the potential energy surface driving the Ne/-H2O dynamics. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.