Tag: Lake Accotink
Lake Accotink closed due to possible sewage contamination
All activities at Lake Accotink have been shut down due to possible sewage contamination. The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services reported on June 30 that the Wastewater Management Program detected a sewage spill upstream of the lake. “Out of an abundance of caution, immediate closure of lake activities is recommended for … Continued
Community invited to National Trails Day event at new Lake Accotink trail crossing
The Fairfax County Park Authority is celebrating the official opening of the Accotink Creek Crossing on Saturday, June 3, which is National Trails Day. The new crossing at the bottom of the Lake Accotink dam consists of a 325-foot elevated concrete pedestrian bridge over the outfall, an area that repeatedly flooded in the past, and … Continued
New task force will review options for the future of Lake Accotink
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a motion May 23 to create a task force on the future of Lake Accotink. The motion, proposed by Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw, calls for the task force to: Related story: Lake Accotink dredging project not likely to happen, due to increased cost The task force will … Continued
Lake Accotink Park to get a new playground
Lake Accotink Park is getting a new playground to replace the old, obsolete one that had been there since 1995. The old play equipment was removed earlier this month after a licensed playground inspector deemed it unsafe. Crews laid seed and straw to provide erosion control and a temporary green space until the new equipment … Continued
Task force would reconsider the recommendation to not dredge Lake Accotink
Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw, Franconia Supervisor Rodney Lusk, and Board Chair Jeffrey McKay will ask the board to form a task force on the future of Lake Accotink. The task force would “review the existing studies, analyses, and recommendations, participate in a detailed study of the managed wetland option, and explore the possibility of a … Continued
Elevated walkway opens at Lake Accotink
The new elevated walkway below the Lake Accotink dam opened to the public on April 21. The $3 million project is substantially complete, but crews are still working on a few punch list items, says Heather Lynch of the Park Authority’s Planning and Development Division. The project was needed because the existing trail often flooded, … Continued
At Lake Accotink, mud is a hazard
If Lake Accotink is not dredged and begins to fill in with sediment, some people have speculated that it will become an unhealthy, bug-infested swamp. Vanessa Robertson warns of another danger – quicksand. When Robertson, a military veteran who has undergone survival training, learned about Fairfax County’s plan to not dredge Lake Accotink, “I immediately … Continued
Walkinshaw launches re-election campaign
At his re-election campaign launch Feb. 26, Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw acknowledged the challenge of saving Lake Accotink and said, “I still want to find a way to move forward.” “When I was elected [in 2019], I thought we had a plan to save Lake Accotink at a cost of $30 million,” Walkinshaw told a … Continued
Dredging Lake Accotink is not financially or environmentally feasible
At a virtual community meeting Feb. 15, Fairfax County officials explained why the dredging project that had been proposed to save Lake Accotink is no longer feasible. County public works staff are recommending that “Lake Accotink not be dredged due to significant community and environmental impacts and excessive costs.” A new analysis found the project … Continued
Lake Accotink dredging project not likely to happen, due to increased cost
The plan to carry out a major dredging operation to save Lake Accotink is not expected to go forward, Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw reports. New cost estimates make the project untenable. Instead, the county will start over with the development of a new Master Plan for Lake Accotink Park. Without dredging, the lake will eventually … Continued
Lake Accotink celebrates 60th anniversary
The Fairfax County Park Authority hosted a 60th-anniversary celebration of Lake Accotink Park Aug. 27. There were remarks by public officials, informational tables hosted by county agencies and nonprofit organizations, free activities, food trucks, and a cake. In 1960, the Park Authority leased 242 acres from the federal government to create the park. There were … Continued
Police kill coyote at Lake Accotink
A Fairfax County police officer shot and killed a coyote that bit three adults and two dogs at Lake Accotink Park this weekend. Police had received a call 8 a.m. on June 5 about the coyote attack, said Lt. Dan Spital in a video posted on Twitter. Police and animal control officers searched the area … Continued
Man assaults juvenile at Lake Accotink
A 42-year-old man is facing charges after sexually assaulting a juvenile at Lake Accotink Park, the Fairfax County Police Department reports. Officers were called to the park in Springfield on May 21 for a report of an assault. The victim was on the playground around 6 p.m. when a man approached the victim, engaged in … Continued
Lake Accotink trail project to start soon
Construction is set to begin this summer on the Lake Accotink Dam Stream Crossing Project, the Fairfax County Park Authority reports. The project involves 300 linear feet of asphalt trail improvements and 325 linear feet on an elevated concrete pedestrian crossing over the dam outfall in Lake Accotink Park in Springfield. The Park Authority contracted … Continued
Two sites identified for dredging operation at Lake Accotink
Fairfax County public works staff recommend two sites for processing the sediment to be dredged out of Lake Accotink. Those sites, announced at a community meeting Feb. 10, are at Southern Drive and the maintenance area in Wakefield Park. The dredged material would be transported to whichever dewatering site is chosen via a pipeline. After … Continued