Immediate action urged to save Lake Accotink

Save Lake Accotink, a grassroots community group, is urging Fairfax County to take swift action to dredge Lake Accotink e now and preserve the surrounding ecosystem before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors comes up with a long-range plan to preserve the lake.

The Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink delivered its Findings Report to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors earlier this month. The board then referred the report to its Environmental Committee.

The task force found the county staff’s recommendation to abandon the Lake Accotink dredging project was based on unreliable data, incorrect cost estimates, and erroneous assumptions about dewatering and transportation options, reports Save Lake Accotink President and task force member Allan Robertson.

Instead, the task force concluded that a “hybrid option” consisting of a smaller lake and managed wetlands is feasible. The task force, however, was not directed to make any recommendations and did not do so.

The task force found the staff’s recommendation failed to consider the value of Lake Accotink to the park, the county, and the environment. The county relies on Lake Accotink to trap sediment and thus maintain water quality in lower Accotink Creek.

Related story: Lake Accotink task force presents its findings to the BoS

The findings report said the cost of dredging could be up to 70 percent less than originally estimated, said Robertson. Also, “the dredging maintenance cycle could be extended beyond five years, thus reducing the long-term costs.”

Save Lake Accotink calls for the Board of Supervisors to allocate funding for an immediate scalable dredging project while scientific field studies are carried out to provide the data the BoS needs for an informed decision.

“This is crucial to safeguard, at the very least, the current footprint and enhance the sediment trapping capacity while a comprehensive long-term plan is developed,” Robertson said. “Urgent action is crucial to prevent the degradation of this irreplaceable county resource.”

Without taking steps now, he said, “Lake Accotink faces an imminent risk of further neglect, leading to increased siltation and transforming into an unmanageable wetland. This is not a fate we can accept.” Despite what some people are saying, “Lake Accotink’s scale and watershed characteristics cannot be converted to another Huntly Meadows.”

Robertson urges community members to contact Board Chair Jeffrey McKay and each district supervisor to “let them know what Lake Accotink matters to you.”

He encourages people to visit SaveLakeAccotink.org for contact information and sample letters.