County proposes $30.5 million plan to save Lake Accotink

A large crowd turns out for a community meeting on the county’s plan for saving Lake Accotink.

Fairfax County officials have come up with a plan to save Lake Accotink and are confident they will get the money to carry out the project.

The plan was announced at a community meeting Sept. 19 at Cardinal Forest Elementary School that drew more than 100 local residents.

The proposal, as described by Dave Bowden, director of planning and development at the Park Authority, calls for the lake to be dredged to restore its depth from an average of four feet to eight feet.

The sediment would be pumped out and transferred via a pipeline to the area of Wakefield Park under the power lines, where it would be dried out. The dried sediment would then be hauled by trucks on Braddock Road and the beltway to a quarry in another part of Fairfax County.

The pipeline would be 18 to 24 inches wide and would be permanent. It hasn’t been determined whether it would be above or below ground. In any event, the trail under the power lines would be restored.

This plan would retain the aesthetic and recreational value of the lake, Bowden said. Many people in the audience expressed gratitude to the county for saving the lake, although there were concerns about the loss of trees and wildlife habitat during the dredging and pipe construction process.

Allan Robertson, president of Save the Lake, called the county’s efforts to involve the community and find a solution to restoring Lake Accotink a “wonderful and uplifting experience.” But he said the pipeline is a cause for concern, as one reason to keep the lake is the need to preserve the natural environment.

The dredging would cost $30.5 million. Repairing the dam would cost $4.7 million, and there would be additional costs for periodic maintenance.

The county would apply to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for funding under the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund. That loan would have an interest rate reduction of 1 percent below municipal market rates, Bowden said. DEQ confirmed that the county’s dedicated source of stormwater revenue ($3.25 per $100 of assessed value) would provide for an additional 1 percent reduction below municipal market rates.

Full-year debt service for the entire $30.5 million cost is estimated at $1.5 million a year, based on current market conditions.

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay said he has been meeting with DEQ officials, and “they are feeling very confident” that the Lake Accotink project will be approved. “DEQ is eager to work with Fairfax County on this.”

If DEQ funding falls through, the county would pursue funding from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. The EDA has financed other county projects, including the Merrifield Center and the public safety headquarters.

The scope and funding strategy for restoring Lake Accotink will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 29.

The tentative timetable for the project includes these steps:

• Jan. 31, 2020 – A contract would be awarded for design and permitting. 
• March 31 – The application for a loan from DEQ would be submitted. 
• June 30 – The Park Authority would complete a master plan for Lake Accotink Park. 
• Sept. 30 – The state would approve the loan. 
• Jan 31, 2021 – The dredging contract would be awarded.
• March 1, 2025 – Dredging would be completed.

The problems of Lake Accotink were discussed during several community meetings over the past couple of years. Due to sediment buildup, the lake is shrinking and will eventually disappear entirely if nothing is done. The last dredging, completed in 2008, cost $10 million.

Ninety percent of the responses to a county survey favored saving Lake Accotink, and 65 percent supported retaining the existing footprint of the lake through dredging.