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 will not take any action on the lake at that time, said task force chair Sharon Bulova at the group’s last meeting on Dec. 4. The board will refer the report to its Environmental Committee for a more in-depth presentation by the task force on Dec. 12.
“The task force finds that a smaller lake, in the range of 20 to 40 acres, can preserve a significant open water feature with a program of regular dredging,” the summary states.
The task for also agreed that the dredge spoils remain in Lake Accotink Park to the maximum extent possible.
The Lake Accotink Task Force Findings Report also says “some combination of a managed wetland and a grassland are viable options for the portions of the original 110-acre lake that have already, or will in the near to mid-future, fill in.” In addition, the task force finds that kayaking and other recreation options could be possible in a managed wetland/grassland and a smaller lake.
Related story: The Lake Accotink Task Force is looking at the benefits of retaining the lake
“A smaller lake is a path forward,” Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw told the task force. It’s important to manage expectations and “not to over promise and under deliver.”
Much more work needs to be done to determine the details, the cost, and how the spoils could be used in the park, Walkinshaw said.
The task force report will probably come back to the Board of Supervisors in January or February, Bulova said. By then, the two new board members will have had a chance to read it.
Bulova suggests the board will probably direct the staff to evaluate options and come back with recommendations and a cost estimate.
The Findings Report describes the value of the lake, offers a technical review of the analysis that supported the staff recommendation to cease future dredging, and provides alternative options to a traditional dredge.
Related story: New playground opens at Lake Accotink
In considering the value of Lake Accotink, the task force looked beyond economic factors and evaluated the socioeconomic, recreational, and environmental benefits.
For example, they found the lake serves the needs of disadvantaged populations, offers a habitat for wildlife, and provides sediment control for the Accotink Creek watershed.
At the task force’s Dec. 4 meeting there was some discussion on whether the report should state the current size of the lake is 49 acres or 55 acres. The Park Authority’s official figure is 55 acres, while some studies reflect more recent shrinkage and put the number at 49. The task force decided to use 49-55 acres in the report with an explanatory footnote.