Does anyone know what they are building near the dam at Woodglen Lake (near the Bonnie Brae, Middleridge and Fairfax Club Estates communities) in Fairfax? Fencing was installed a couple of weeks ago, an access road from Sideburn Road was opened and a large number of trees have been taken out. This looks like the start of a small housing subdivision, but it seems like an odd place to build homes. Still, I would not put it past the FXCO planning commission to allow such a thing.

Whatever it is has destroyed wildlife habitat and a nice natural resource. There must have been a few fox dens back there as I now see them wandering through our neighborhood almost daily. I contacted Supervisor Cook's office with a question and have heard nothing.

They're doing what they did to Lake Royal, re-enforcing the dam and/or altering the other side in case it gives way, or something like that.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2008/156.htm
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/VA/Programs/watershed_info/pohick_creek_3.pdf

Woodglen Lake does not meet current dam design and safety criteria.
During the planning process, there were two primary problems identified by the NRCS Planning
Team, the local Sponsors and the public. These are the primary issues addressed by the
rehabilitation plan.
• The vegetated earth auxiliary spillway does not have the stability or integrity to carry the
design flow without breaching.
• The training dike along the auxiliary spillway outlet is too low to contain the design flow.
The breach analysis indicates that a breach of the Woodglen Dam would jeopardize 157 homes
and place approximately 435 residents and 440 workers/clients at risk. There are also 14
industrial sites, two public sites, four commercial sites, and two office sites located in the breach
inundation zone.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2010 03:00PM by Dirty Jersey.

FXCO could not find a better way to spend $2.5M? This just seems like a giant waste of money. A year or two ago we had a heavy rain storm - I think that it was the remnants of a hurricane which dropped something like 8-12" of rain during the course of the day - and the dam and spillway looked to be working just fine.

My guess is 200-300 trees have been removed, so calling the environmental impact minimal is a joke and the area is going to look blighted for a long, long time.

TomMadison Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FXCO could not find a better way to spend $2.5M?
> This just seems like a giant waste of money.

OR very poor timing, I agree

A year or two ago we had a heavy rain storm - I
> think that it was the remnants of a hurricane
> which dropped something like 8-12" of rain during
> the course of the day - and the dam and spillway
> looked to be working just fine.

Unfortunately that is what they said in New Orleans the day after Katrina passed.

> My guess is 200-300 trees have been removed, so
> calling the environmental impact minimal is a joke
> and the area is going to look blighted for a long,
> long time.

Agreed

Here's a link to the project site:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2010/woodglen-lake-dam-rehab-ceremony.htm

They did the same type access at Snowy Owl Dr in FCE to reinforce the creek/spillway. It actually is very nice now that the trees and grass have grown in. Great place for a small park.