Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Sewer project scheduled for Lake Barcroft

The houses along Waterway Drive will be affected by a sewer project (DPWES)

The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services is beginning a sewer rehabilitation project on Waterway Drive in Lake Barcroft this month. 

The project, under the direction of the department’s Wastewater Design and Construction Division, involves the rehabilitation of 700 feet of sanitary sewer pipe and manholes (access points) under Waterway Drive.  

Waterway Drive [DPWES]

Spot repairs will be made to the host pipe before a new liner is installed. The work will be done through the manholes to reduce disturbance to the community. Construction will include bypass pumping and piping for internal sewer repairs. Barring any unforeseen delays, the construction should take about four months. 

During the project, travel in the eastbound lane of Waterway Drive will be restricted to local access between Half Moon Circle and Cavalier Corridor. Other temporary traffic detours also will be in effect. 
Several sewer backups have occurred in the area. This project is expected to greatly reduce the probability of further problems.
A condition assessment in 2018 revealed several problems inside the pipe, which was originally installed in 1940 and relined in 1990. Using closed-circuit television cameras mounted on remote-controlled robots, the crew noticed tree root penetration and grease buildup inside the lined pipe. 
The assessment found the host pipe was in poor condition and the manholes require rehabilitation. 
The project team studied several options and determined replacing the failing liner is the best long-term solution. 
A bypass system will be implemented to reduce disruption to sewer service. Homeowners’ sewer service cannot be offline for more than two hours, and coordination with homeowners will be required before water service is shut off. 
The project costs approximately $1.5 million and is funded from sewer service fees paid by users of the public system.
For more information, contact Thomas Grala, project manager, 703-324-5815,  [email protected].

6 responses to “Sewer project scheduled for Lake Barcroft

  1. Yay!
    An old dream of mine was that my tax dollars will pay for a renovation of a private lake to which i dont have access as it is owned by a bunch rich people.

    1. I see your concern. Luckily, the sewer is just carrying effluent from private homes and bypassing their lake entirely. So no renovation of the lake is ongoing, just some simple health and public works project that benefits citizens (near the lake or not).

  2. @Anonymous, unless I missed something, this is a sewer replacement that would happen anywhere where the public sewer is in need of repair.

    So, what is the complaint? Oh, it's adjacent to the lake, and because the people who live at lake barcroft own a lake, you are upset?

    Or is it just that Penny Gross or one of the other Mason district Gov't villains live there?

  3. Don't forget the wonderful special tax that everyone in the Bailey's/North Annandale/East Falls Church area gets to pay to "improve" Lake Barcroft. Nothing like the middle classes supporting lakefront property owners. What a scam.

  4. AS far as I can tell, the only people who pay for the LB Watershed improvement district are in tax district 50101, which is only houses in Lake Barcroft. At a quick glance, homes in Sleepy Hollow and Ravenwood do not pay for the LB WID. Homes on Juniper Lane, which back up to Tripps Run do not pay for the LB WID.

    So again what is the complaint about Lake Barcroft? Can you provide me a counter example? Taxes can be looked up online. Give me an address outside Lake Barcroft that you contend pays for the WID, otherwise it seems you are just upset w/ Lake Barcroft residents because they collectively paid for and own a lake.

    The article is about a routine sewer replacement, that happens everywhere where there is public sewer. Why so much misguided vitriol about Lake Barcrfot?

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