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Master Plan
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Fairfax County Dredging Project Website December 12, 2023: The Board of Supervisors Environmental Committee received the Task Force report. The Task Force was specifically tasked not to make recommendations, but the report did emphasize options for a smaller lake with onsite spoils disposal that may reduce costs, and for a promising new option for a dewatering site at an industrial park farther east along the railroad tracks. We now await what steps the Board of Supervisors will decide to take next. Some prickly questions still remain to be resolved:
Task Force Findings Report
April 25, 2023: The Board of Supervisors Environmental Committee discussed Lake Accotink. At the recommendation of Supervisors Walkinshaw, Lusk, and McKay, the group decided to form a task force to study the problem and provide findings. What form this task force will take does not seem clear. What it could possibly find that has not already been studied to death is also not clear, other than a more thorough examination of the nature and cost of wetland conversion. We can only assume the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan will continue to be delayed until the task force reports.
Task Force Announcement - Supervisor Walkinshaw
Dam Repairs, April 9, 2023 During the current Lake Accotink dam repairs, the water level has been lowered by 2 – 3 feet. The surface area of the lake has shrunk an estimated 30 to 50 percent, conjuring an image of what the near future of the lake might become without dredging. A revelation was the dozens of freshwater mussel shells on the exposed mudflats. This indicates only a very small population of mussels in the lake, but it is a pleasant surprise when we had believed the population to be near zero. 
The main channel of Accotink Creek winds its way past the mudflats. February 15 & 16, 2023: WOW!! The whole process of years of back and forth over the future of Lake Accotink will start over as part of a new Master Plan for the Park. The County Story Map provides a useful description of where we are and how we got here. This is not new. Here’s a description of similar woes in the Washington Post from 1982. Neighbors are understandably disappointed and frustrated, some to the point of a pitchfork and torches mood. The discussion at Save Lake Accotink is illustrative. Although the Story Map suggests the lake could become a new Huntley Meadows. One must wonder, given the invasives that dominate the upper end of the lake that filled in years ago. If the sediment goes over the dam, the mussels are doomed. There is some faint hope the Flag Run restoration could be designed to provide a sanctuary and we need to pursue that idea.
The Friends of Accotink Creek have submitted Comments indicating our position.
Participate in the community survey on the future of Lake Accotink
Comments of the Friends of Accotink Creek
Accotink Marsh Park - a new Huntley Meadows? 
Or “Humpy Meadows”, dominated by mounds of Multiflora rose overgrown with Porcelainberry? February 9, 2023: In his Walkinshaw Advisory, Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw made the astounding announcement that years of study had at last led County staff to make the "...recommendation is that the lake not be dredged due to excessive costs and significant community and environmental impacts" WJLA TV Report, May 16 & 21, 2022:
Washington ABC affiliate WJLA carried a report examining the dredging issues.
Public Meeting February 10, 2022:
The comments submitted by the Friends of Accotink Creek begin with a summary of the muddle we find ourselves in:
Public Meeting Preview, January 28, 2022 After the years of considering different bad options for the future of Lake Accotink, it has come down to two unpalatable choices for a dredge spoils dewatering site:
The February 10, 2022, public meeting is likely to be quite contentious as neighbors protest increased truck traffic on residential streets. The option for a smaller but cuter lake we thought was discarded may yet be reconsidered, due to the astronomical financial cost of dredging. 
The last two desperate options - Wakefield Park vs. Industrial Park - People vs. Trees? Trees have no tongues and no votes. Lake Accotink Dredging Meetings, July 29 & August 5, 2021
The meeting presentation was a synopsis of the contractor’s report (178 pages), followed by question and answer. The options for a dewatering site have dwindled to:
The Upper Settling Basin pipeline would follow a long stretch of the main trail, to avoid abrupt elevation change. There were surprisingly few public comments. None of the comments by other attendees evidenced much emotion or hostility or advocacy for particular options. A few agreed with our general point of minimizing environmental impact, especially as regarded Wakefield Park. No one advocated for any site other than the island. Other noteworthy points:
Statement made at the in-person meeting, speaking on behalf of FACC:
It is our sincere belief that, had this information been available during earlier public discussions of the future of Lake Accotink, the decision could well have taken a different course. The costs of all of these options are high in negative environmental, recreational, and community impacts.
The existing island option is the least environmentally distasteful among all the bad options. Lake Accotink Dredging Meeting, December 10, 2020, online The public meeting offered little that was not known, but did advise that on-the-ground studies are underway in preparation for the dredge. Unfortunately, all options seem to have narrowed to the certainty of a pipeline from the lake to a sediment dewatering site north of Braddock Road. Options for locating the dewatering facility are very limited and there seems little hope that the site selected will not choose the path of least resistance by sacrificing several acres of trees in Wakefield Park. ★ ★ Submit your comments on the dredge, pipeline, and dewatering plans HERE (scroll down) ★ ★Pipeline Route Walk March 14, 2020 Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, his staff, our new park manager, Dan Grulke, Park Authority staff, Stormwater Planning Division, neighbors of Lake Accotink, and members of FLAP, Save Lake Accotink, and Friends of Accotink Creek met to walk the route of the proposed dredge spoils pipeline. Many thanks to all who turned out and to the Community of Christ for permission to use their property as our starting point. After months of public discussion culminating in a commitment to preserve the full lake, an added cost has become apparent - a dredge spoils pipeline proposed to run from Lake Accotink Park to Wakefield Park - plus 5 acres of cleared woods in Wakefield Park for dewatering. This industrialization of our parks is not what the neighbors expected as the price to keep the full lake. To better understand the costs vs. the benefits, the gathering walked along the Cross County Trail, observing the forests and habitat, stopping here and there for closer looks, from the upper end of Lake Accotink to the baseball diamonds area in Wakefield Park. Along the way, the narrators pointed out the proposed pipeline route is entirely in floodplain wetlands dotted with short-term pools supporting amphibian reproduction. As we heard the calls of pickerel and wood frogs spotted wood ducks and mallards on one such pool, likely preparing to nest nearby. . The discussions covered various concerns about the pipeline, such as the eyesore it would be, the difficulty of threading the narrow points of the corridor between creek, homes, and historic sites, the damage pipeline equipment would cause, the negative interactions of pipeline and floodwaters, the obstacle the pipeline would pose to movement of wildlife, etc. The group pondered alternatives to yet one more tree removal project in our parks, such as dewatering the sediment on barges in the lake, running the pipeline along the railroad to a dewatering area in one of the industrial parks, or even reconsidering the option of a smaller lake. The group learned as well that Fairfax County is now engaging a contractor to develop more concrete plans and that further public input will be needed when those plans are on the table. Cars had been staged at the end point of the walk to ferry participants back, but almost all preferred to spend still more time in Nature on this mild late winter day, and chose to return on foot. Everyone who was there is now aware firsthand of the impacts and the need to think about them. The turnout demonstrated to the county side that there is a level of citizen concern. 
At the end of the trail Supporting handout package provided to participants:
Master Plan Meeting September 19, 2019, at Cardinal Forest Elementary 
After a lengthy pause for study and planning, the plan to preserve Lake Accotink was presented, amid much enthusiasm from public servants and the public. The sour note is the proposed permanent pipeline from the Lake to a dewatering site in Wakefield Park, an eyesore and a graffiti magnet that will sacrifice trees and habitat in the name of what?
DPWES Briefing, March 4, 2019 The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services held a briefing for representatives of Save Lake Accotink, Friends of Lake Accotink Park, and Friends of Accotink Creek to discuss the results of studies done on the future of the lake subsequent to the 2018 public meetings. Some highlights of the briefing were:
Save Lake Accotink Petition Presented to Board of Supervisors, June 5, 2018: Supervisor Cook presented the Save Lake Accotink petition with over 4000 signatures to the Board of Supervisors on June 5th. Five supervisors spoke favorably. Link to video (17 minutes)
The next step for the lake will be county staff recommendations on a bond issue to go before the voters in November, 2019. REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER - Now that the future of the lake seems clear, we may expect the Master Plan to continue forward with public meetings to consider other aspects of planning. We must continue to advocate for nature and habitat over active recreation and asphalt. We must keep fish and eel passage on the table. Annandale Blog Article, May 29, 2018: Describing the efforts of Save Lake Accotink to petition for preservation of the lake. ARTICLE Monthly Town Hall Meeting of Friends of Accotink Creek, May 15, 2018: The meeting of the Friends of Accotink Creek endorsed:
Master Plan Meeting April 30, 2018, at Lake Braddock Secondary
Supervisors Cook, McKay, Gross, and Herrity were in attendance. Supervisor Cook acted as the "master of ceremonies". He and Supervisor McKay fielded most of the questions, with some input as well from Supervisor Gross. Supervisor Cook estimated the crowd at over 300. The sentiment (not sediment) of the audience was preponderantly in favor of retaining the lake and each speaker in favor of the lake received enthusiastic applause. Supervisor Cook noted some new citizen suggestions that are now being officially studied on the Park Authority side:
On the topic of the upstream forebay, Supervisor Cook noted some challenges, including that of capturing the flow from the Long Branch tributary. He invited citizens with ideas to submit sketches of possible solutions. The Park Authority handout available at the meeting makes a depressing statement that "The solution would be to improve the stream channels..." which was echoed in comments by Supervisors Cook and McKay. [This means lining our streams with stone, rather akin to "fixing" an ailing leg with a prosthetic limb.] There was no reference to healing the cause of the erosion, ever-expanding paved surfaces without adequate stormwater controls. Supervisor McKay did at least mention that the stormwater tax is used to fund projects other than stream restorations to address the sediment. Also depressing was Supervisor Cook's comment that there is "not a square inch of natural area left in Fairfax County". This is a notion we have heard with some frequency from Supervisor Cook. More encouraging was Supervisor Cook's statement, "I don't think making money is really the goal" of Lake Accotink Park. Supervisor Cook extended an offer to speak to any community or organization wishing to have a meeting on the topic of Lake Accotink. Speakers from Save Lake Accotink made the same offer. Supervisor Cook mentioned that the county is catching up to the consideration of downstream costs. He observed that without the dam, Fairfax County would likely be obligated to collect an equivalent amount of sediment at twice the cost. Speakers from Save Lake Accotink echoed this and pointed out it would apply specifically to the proposals for a smaller lake or no lake. Supervisor McKay marveled that Lake Accotink has received more commentary and more review than any project in recent Park Authority history. Supervisor Cook expressed admiration and appreciation for the efforts of Save Lake Accotink. He plans to present their petition signatures to the June 19 Board of Supervisors meeting. [Plan now to be there with your SLA t-shirt or sign!] When the subject of a possible special tax district to support Lake Accotink was broached, both Supervisor Cook and Supervisor McKay were quick to give their thumbs down, to enthusiastically affirming audience applause. Supervisor Gross, noting that she had just returned today from a stormwater planning meeting in Richmond, discussed the effect we might expect climate change to have, in terms of more intense rainstorms. Referring to Lake Accotink, she said "I look at this as a great big BMP [BMP = Best Management Practice, in this case for stormwater] Su Jewell, our friend from Friends of Lake Accotink Park, spoke on the environmental benefits of stream reconnection, noting that she works in the very office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that deals with migratory fish passage. Our own Kris Unger lamented the impediments to letting the beavers solve the sediment problem in our suburban environment. He praised Save Lake Accotink for its success and thanked the audience for the concern they had shown by attending. Kris urged all to "Get involved and stay involved". The train surely seems to be gaining steam in the direction of keeping the dam. As things proceed, we will need to more vocally advocate for a fishway as a consolation prize for fish and other wildlife that will benefit from stream reconnection. Media coverage in the Connection Newspapers was good, although there was some misunderstanding of the concept of forebays. Also pre-meeting coverage in The Patch
★ Neighbors are swiftly building momentum in favor of preserving the lake. ★
At the Fairfax County Park Authority Master Plan webpage for Lake Accotink Park, you may read background information, review documents, and sign up for email notifications.
Find an enlightening correspondence that illuminates how environmental recovery plans affect the future of the lake HERE - April 12, 2018 Bay Journal Articles, April 27, May 25, & July 9, 2018: These articles in the Bay Journal describe a larger version of the Lake Accotink situation, explaining how the filling-in of the Conowingo dam has sent sediment downstream, mandating alternate control measures. "For many years, the dam, which was completed in 1928, actually improved water quality in the lower Susquehanna and the Upper Bay by trapping sediment and accompanying nutrients from farm runoff, wastewater and urban stormwater. But over the decades, the reservoir filled with sediment, and the dam is no longer acting as a trap. Because of that lost trapping capacity, studies show the Upper Bay can’t achieve sufficient dissolved oxygen levels in its deep waters to sustain fish without additional nutrient pollution reductions of about 5 percent." ARTICLE 1 / ARTICLE 2 / ARTICLE 3 Find an examination of obstacles to fish migration on Accotink Creek HERE - May 2, 2018
Master Plan Meeting February 13, 2018, at Lake Braddock Secondary
Supervisors Jeff McKay and John Cook co-hosted this meeting and together fielded questions. Community engagement with the future of Lake Accotink was evident with a crowd of about 200 in attendance. Opinions generally ran in favor of retaining the lake for a variety of motivations running from emotional attachment to environmental to financial. Options seem to be narrowing down to two:
Nonetheless, both supervisors expressed determination to make the funding happen if community support is there. Supervisor McKay made his commitment clear by stating, "If we decide to save this lake, I will kill myself to get the money." One speaker brought up the issue of the current Accotink Creek TMDL, which may mandate that the sediment-capture function of the lake must be retained. The meeting received media attention in the Annandale Blog and on WJLA Channel 7 Submit your written comments by e-mail at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov and complete the Park Authority lake options survey HERE by May 28, 2018. Read FACC's comments to the Park Authority and Supervisors HERE
★ Neighbors are swiftly building momentum in favor of preserving the lake. ★
Master Plan Meeting January 22, 2018, at North Springfield Elementary It was a full house for a meeting to inform the public about options for the future of the lake. A slide lecture, display stations, and Q&A laid out the financial and sedimentation issues that make maintaining the lake a challenge. A secondary topic was the concept of connecting the upper and lower parking areas, either for the public or for emergency vehicles only. Supervisors Bulova and Cook were present. The continued filling in of the lake with sediment requires periodic dredging at significant county expense. The dam itself requires ongoing maintenance expense for continued function and safety. Despite the significant sediment capture, the county cannot obtain MS4 points (for stormwater discharge permits) for Lake Accotink because it does not meet certain technical requirements. None of the options is ideal. Retaining the lake is a substantial financial cost to taxpayers and leaves a barrier to wildlife movement. Breaching the dam would reconnect the stream for wildlife movement, but would sacrifice the wetlands at the head of the lake and probably cause the extinction of the last population of freshwater mussels in Accotink Creek - in addition to losing the community value of the lake. The same options for the lake's future laid out at the May 16, 2016, meeting were still on the table tonight, minus one. The option for artificial "beaver dams" had been dropped from consideration. Otherwise the options were:
Attendees were asked to vote by paper ballots on their preferred options for the lake and connectivity.
Review the Park Authority meeting summary & presentation.
Submit your written comments by e-mail at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov .
The May 16, 2016 public meeting focused on lake sustainability and the chronic siltation issue:
On March 14, 2016, the long-delayed Master Plan for Lake Accotink Park began with a well-attended initial public meeting. Read our brief notes HERE. Read the Annandale Blog report HERE.
The Master Plan for Lake Accotink Park is in development now.
Lend your voice in defense of habitat and watersheds! The Board of Conservators of Friends of Accotink Creek has submitted comments on the focus of the Master Plan. Please find them HERE and use as a model for your own comments, either in person or in writing. Modify or personalize as appropriate The fundamental principle is to defend natural resources over development and "improvements". The demand for active recreational and sports use of parks is infinite, but our remaining natural areas are finite. Destruction of irreplaceable habitat to satisfy demands for active recreation is an unwise course. Likewise, encouraging types of recreation in natural areas that degrade those areas is also destined to be regretted. The Freshwater Mussel Survey commissioned by Friends of Accotink Creek and Friends of Lake Accotink Park describes an imperiled resource whose protection the Master Plan should enhance. We can expect the Master Plan to be complete by 2018, after which any funding would come from the 2020 bond issue. In the meantime, the 2016 park bond issue includes $1.5 million for Lake Accotink Park. If approved by voters, these expenditures may begin while the Master Plan is incomplete. This creates some possibility of ad hoc projects incompatible with the long-term goals of the master plan.
At the Fairfax County Park Authority Master Plan webpage for Lake Accotink Park, you may read background information, review documents, and sign up for email notifications.
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