Tag: Lake Accotink
Lake Accotink task force presents its findings to the BoS
The Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink has found that retaining the lake at a smaller size is a viable option compared to carrying out a full dredge or letting it revert to wetlands. The task force is presenting an executive summary of its report to the Board of Supervisors today. The board … Continued
The Lake Accotink Task Force is looking at the benefits of retaining the lake
The Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink is looking at a broad array of issues – such as the impact on the environment, the habitat, recreation, and equity – as it develops a recommendation on how much of the lake should be saved. The task force is scheduled to present its findings to … Continued
New playground opens at Lake Accotink
Children have a new place to play at Lake Accotink Park. A new playground was officially opened on Nov. 2 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new playground has a tall climbing structure, a long twisty slide, musical features, a playhouse, dragonfly seesaw, large net for climbing, and a double swing allowing a parent to ride … Continued
Starbucks awards grant to Lake Accotink Park friends group
The Starbucks Foundation awarded the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP) $1,000 from its Neighborhood Grants program, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced. A local Starbucks employee nominated FLAP for the grant in recognition of its work to protect the natural and cultural resources and support projects and programmatic opportunities at Lake Accotink Park. FLAP … Continued
Construction of new playground at Lake Accotink park to start this week
Work is set to begin as early as today on the new playground at Lake Accotink Park, weather permitting. The playground, with equipment for children of all ages and abilities, will be installed on the same spot where the old playground was removed in May. It will have a tower play structure with a winding … Continued
Lake Accotink Task Force outlines the issues for further study
The Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink at its most recent meeting finalized the questions to be addressed by the consultant, WSP/LimnoTech. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors charged the task force with recommending whether the lake should be transformed into a managed wetland or a managed wetland with a smaller body of … Continued
Park Foundation steps up removal of invasives at Lake Accotink Park
The Fairfax County Park Foundation received a $40,000 three-year grant to remove invasive plants from Lake Accotink Park. The funds, from the Society for Ecological Restoration, support the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Invasive Management Area projects at the park. Related story: New task force will review options for the future of Lake Accotink The grant … Continued
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