LOCCA Asks For a Study of Watersheds Near Occoquan

The Lake Ridge/Occoquan Civic Association decided Thursday night to draft a letter asking Occoquan Supervisor Mike May for a study of the Ballywack Creek and Boundary Branch Creek watersheds above the historic Town of Occoquan.

Storm runoff from these watersheds causes flooding in the town below—most notably when floodwaters overwhelmed the town—but they are beyond the town’s jurisdiction. The flooding and runoff problems were a major topic of discussion during the recent battle.

Tom Burrell, chairman of LOCCA’s Planning, Environmental, Land Use and Transportation Committee, said that through those discussions the spotlight was shined on these watersheds and now is a great time to take advantage of that and try to get them fixed.

LOCCA supported the Oaks III development but now wants to address the flooding issues that were raised during the debate.

“When the Oaks III project was going through the process, it became obvious that there was a greater issue at hand with the flooding,” he said. He said there is a much greater area than just Oaks III that is contributing to the problem, and now is a good time to take advantage of the momentum and get the processes started to look into how it can be fixed.

“If you don’t do the initial study to identify recommended projects to fix the problem, you can’t get the projects put into the budget and they’ll never get fixed,” he said.

Patty Dietz, Senior Environmental Engineer at the PWC Watershed Management Branch, was at the meeting to talk about the issues with the watersheds, possible fixes, but ultimately to encourage them to ask for a more in-depth study.

Several of the issues raised were: the floors of both Ballywack and Boundary Branch creeks have risen considerably, reducing their capacity; there is only one official storm water pond in the area, which floods; and the terrain is very steep with a lot of cliff-like drop-offs, so there is not a lot of natural mitigation.

Dietz also suggested that the study include making recommendations on how to meet new state storm water regulations and the Federal Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load requirements, which are part of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Furthermore, it would help ensure the high quality of public drinking water.

She said if they tie in the Bay requirements, they are likely to get more money and wider support because the Bay Preservation is a much broader issue.

Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta was also invited to the meeting and he indicated that the town would probably construct their own letter to go along with LOCCA’s, asking for a study of the watersheds. He said he was hoping for a long-term fix, because quick fixes don’t work or end up just hurting someone else in the end.

“We don't have to worry about the ‘hundred-year storm;’ just the modest storm causes problems,” he said. Then, he continued, the 'hundred-year storm' causes much greater problems then necessary.

Despite being disappointed about the approval of the Oaks III development, which he and the Town of Occoquan fought, Porta seemed glad that LOCCA had been influenced by the arguments they brought about the flooding. But he was a little skeptical if the project would actually come about. “They never actually talked about where the money is coming from to do these studies,” he said. “So I have to wonder if the money will actually show up.”

Tom Burrell said that finding the money would probably be the next step after the Board of County Supervisors approved conducting the study. Once the study is approved, it and the projects it would recommend can be considered when the board makes budget and Capital Improvement Program decisions, he said.

Patty Dietz estimated that the study alone would cost at least $100,000.