Smaller Lake Option For Lake Accotink Could Be Feasible: Task Force

SPRINGFIELD, VA — A task force formed to review the future of Lake Accotink concluded that a smaller lake option, combined with a managed wetland, could be feasible for the man-made lake.

In its findings presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Committee on Tuesday, the task force also said the existing dam at the lake is 80 years old and future options will likely need to take into account dam replacement, repair, or removal.

In May, the Board of Supervisors approved Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw’s motion to create the Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink.

Walkinshaw proposed creating the task force after the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services recommended that the entire Lake Accotink be eliminated and instead turned into a wetland due to "significant community and environmental impacts and excessive cost" of continued dredging.

Since 2014, Fairfax County has been exploring ways to address increased sedimentation and preserve Lake Accotink. Staff found that dredging Lake Accotink would cost $95 million, and the total cost to dredge and maintain Lake Accotink over the next 25 years would cost $395 million.

Lake Accotink is a 55-acre man-made reservoir built by the U.S. Army. The lake, located in the middle of a densely developed 30-square-mile watershed, has required regular dredging in order to remove sediment and prevent it from returning to its natural state.

The task force looked at maintaining the lake at smaller sizes, ranging from 22 acres to 41 acres.

"There are significant costs to dredging even a smaller lake and providing ongoing maintenance dredging and handling dredge spoils," the task force said in its report. "The costs, however, are far less than those of a full lake dredge and are in line with the 2019 estimated costs of a full lake dredge, which the BOS approved."

The small lake options also offer significant environmental benefits, the task force concluded. "A smaller lake would help capture sediment that would otherwise go downstream," it said.

"There is no doubt that preserving a smaller lake meets significant community and social goals. Even a small lake would allow the maintenance of the current marina area, a community gathering place for picnics, birthday parties, and many others who enjoy the calming effects of a lake environment," the task force said.

The task force “stressed the value of the lake to the community and presented important findings that will improve our decision-making process moving forward,” Walkinshaw said about the task force’s findings.

“While their mission was not to make a final recommendation, they did find that a smaller lake option combined with a managed wetland, grassland, and/or braided stream network could be feasible,” he said.

Walkinshaw said he plans to bring forward a board matter to his fellow supervisors in early 2024 to lay out the next steps, including additional community involvement “as we set in motion the process for the future of Lake Accotink and the Master Plan for Lake Accotink Park.”

RELATED:

• Lake Accotink Task Force Created To Review Wetland, Hybrid Options
• Lake Accotink Panel To Break Into Subcommittees To Study Lake's Future