2019 Lake Saved Again
In 1952 developers wanted to eliminate Lake Accotink. The Army at Fort Belvoir stopped them (See Articles). In about 2017 the Fairfax County Park Authority proposed to drain the lake because it is expensive to remove accumulated silt. Citizens banded together, stopped the County and silt removal was funded. This effort was spearheaded by the Ravensworth Farm Civic Association and below is an artilce by Allen B. Robertson summarizing the saving efforts.
Nearly a year and a half ago, the Ravensworth Farm Civic Association ("RFCA") Board of Directors called an emergency meeting to address the danger to Lake Accotink, and it seems now that the danger has passed--for the most part. Fairfax County Park Authority had begun the process of updating the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan, and, as part of that process, the Park Authority had proposed various options for the future of Lake Accotink. Several of those options destroyed or dramatically reduced the size of Lake Accotink, and it was apparent that the Park Authority favored these proposals. The RFCA Board, therefore, determined that it was necessary for the civic association to call a meeting about Lake Accotink.
Braddock District Supervisor John Cook attended that meeting and advised those in attendance that if we wanted to save Lake Accotink, we needed to form an organization and start a social media campaign and petition. Several of the neighbors there met in the back of the school cafeteria and agreed to form a nonprofit organization, Save Lake Accotink. A week later, Save Lake Accotink was officially organized.
Since then, Save Lake Accotink has distributed hundreds of yard signs and car magnets and collected thousands of signatures. Save Lake Accotink has been universally praised for its effectiveness. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who helped in the effort, the thousands of community members who voiced their support for saving Lake Accotink, and especially the key organizers, Scott Houghton, Vikram Shrivastava, Tyler Small, Richard Hildebrand, Stephanie Hopkins, Wade Corder, and Shane Shroeder of Ravensworth Farm, Mike and Cathy Field of North Springfield, and Barbara Coder of Crestwood. I would be remiss if I did not also mention all those who have worked with Friends of Lake Accotink Park and Friends of Accotink Creek who helped spread the word and all those who attended the several public meetings to show support for our beloved lake. I am filled with great pride that my neighbors have led the effort to save Lake Accotink, ensuring that Ravensworth Farm is energetically represented in Fairfax County public advocacy.
On September 19, [2019] at a public meeting held in the Cardinal Forest Elementary School cafeteria, Supervisors Cook and McKay and various officials from the Park Authority and other Fairfax County departments confirmed that our efforts to save Lake Accotink bore fruit. The Park Authority announced that the decision has been made to form a permanent plan for the dredging and maintenance of Lake Accotink as we have known it for decades. Details of the dredging and maintenance plan will be completed sometime next year. The Board of Supervisors has also identified sources of funding for the project, which, at roughly $30 million, will cost millions less than originally projected.
On the downside, to effectuate a permanent plan for the preservation of Lake Accotink, permanent infrastructure will be constructed. We do not yet know exactly what this infrastructure will look like or exactly where it will be built, but the tentative plan is to build a permanent pipeline to pump dredged slurry from the lake to southwest corner of Wakefield Park, where dredged material will be dewatered and then loaded onto trucks. The trucks will haul the dredged material to nearby quarries for disposal.
Watching this process unfold has been an uplifting experience. The community identified a problem and worked together with government officials to devise a solution, and government responded to meet the needs and demands of the public it serves.
Thank you.
Truly yours,
Allan B. Robertson, President Ravensworth Farm Civic Association
[November 2019]
Braddock District Supervisor John Cook attended that meeting and advised those in attendance that if we wanted to save Lake Accotink, we needed to form an organization and start a social media campaign and petition. Several of the neighbors there met in the back of the school cafeteria and agreed to form a nonprofit organization, Save Lake Accotink. A week later, Save Lake Accotink was officially organized.
Since then, Save Lake Accotink has distributed hundreds of yard signs and car magnets and collected thousands of signatures. Save Lake Accotink has been universally praised for its effectiveness. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who helped in the effort, the thousands of community members who voiced their support for saving Lake Accotink, and especially the key organizers, Scott Houghton, Vikram Shrivastava, Tyler Small, Richard Hildebrand, Stephanie Hopkins, Wade Corder, and Shane Shroeder of Ravensworth Farm, Mike and Cathy Field of North Springfield, and Barbara Coder of Crestwood. I would be remiss if I did not also mention all those who have worked with Friends of Lake Accotink Park and Friends of Accotink Creek who helped spread the word and all those who attended the several public meetings to show support for our beloved lake. I am filled with great pride that my neighbors have led the effort to save Lake Accotink, ensuring that Ravensworth Farm is energetically represented in Fairfax County public advocacy.
On September 19, [2019] at a public meeting held in the Cardinal Forest Elementary School cafeteria, Supervisors Cook and McKay and various officials from the Park Authority and other Fairfax County departments confirmed that our efforts to save Lake Accotink bore fruit. The Park Authority announced that the decision has been made to form a permanent plan for the dredging and maintenance of Lake Accotink as we have known it for decades. Details of the dredging and maintenance plan will be completed sometime next year. The Board of Supervisors has also identified sources of funding for the project, which, at roughly $30 million, will cost millions less than originally projected.
On the downside, to effectuate a permanent plan for the preservation of Lake Accotink, permanent infrastructure will be constructed. We do not yet know exactly what this infrastructure will look like or exactly where it will be built, but the tentative plan is to build a permanent pipeline to pump dredged slurry from the lake to southwest corner of Wakefield Park, where dredged material will be dewatered and then loaded onto trucks. The trucks will haul the dredged material to nearby quarries for disposal.
Watching this process unfold has been an uplifting experience. The community identified a problem and worked together with government officials to devise a solution, and government responded to meet the needs and demands of the public it serves.
Thank you.
Truly yours,
Allan B. Robertson, President Ravensworth Farm Civic Association
[November 2019]