News about the Occoquan River

More shad to appear in area rivers
Lillian Kafka, Potomac News; May 17, 2006
Louis Harley and his son Michael, of Harley and Sons Live Fish Co., were especially happy Tuesday as 170,000 shad fry swam from a tank into the Occoquan River . David Peterson, an animal caretaker for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, crouched at the edge of a boat ramp at Occoquan Regional Park and held a hose that spewed the tiny fish into the water.

Supervisors to hear Park Authority report
Keith Walker; Potomac News; October 3, 2005
The supervisors will learn Tuesday that a study of the Upper Occoquan Watershed shows that Prince William streams and waterways are not as clean as they could be. Many of the streams that flow into the watershed are "impaired," or contain too many bacteria or not enough bethnics. Bethnics are macro-invertebrates that live near the bottom of a stream. A bethnic impairment means the water body is not sustaining as complex an ecosystem as it should. The invertebrates are food for other life in the streams, so bethnic impairment means a body of water cannot produce enough food for a good diversity of life. Drinking water from the Occoquan Reservoir, which shows bacterial impairment, is treated with disinfectants that kill virtually all of the bacteria, so it is safe to drink.

Sewage Plant Turns Nose Up at Helping Bay; Operators Balk at Va. Plan To Cap Nitrogen Discharge
Nikita Stewart, Washington Post; September 3, 2005
Each day, the Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority plant in Prince William County dumps high levels of nitrogen into Bull Run and, ultimately, into the [Occoquan Reservoir and the] Chesapeake Bay 150 miles away. In the Chesapeake, nitrogen is deadly, creating what are known as "dead zones" -- places in the water where it helps spur the growth of algae, which depletes oxygen in the water and kills animals and plant life.

Developer proposes Rivergate
Lillian Kafka, Potomac News; June 16 2005
The developer that built Watergate and other luxury high-rise buildings is grasping at opportunity in northern Woodbridge . The IDI Group has applied for permission to build $250 million high-rise condominium towers next to Virginia Concrete overlooking the Occoquan River near U.S. 1. … Rivergate's architecture is meant to provide a transition from the nearby Town of Occoquan to other high-rise developments that IDI anticipates will follow. When Prince William County officials cemented the Potomac Communities plan last year, they opened the door to dense, high-rise development as IDI has proposed.

Condo Plan Heightens Traffic Worries ; Proposal Pits New Image for Woodbridge 's Route 1 Against More Congestion
Nikita Stewart , Washington Post, June 7 2005
A major developer of luxury condominiums wants to build three upscale towers on Route 1 in Woodbridge , a move that supporters say would help Prince William revitalize a gritty corridor that has long been home to cheap housing and fading strip malls. The project, dubbed Rivergate and being proposed by the Rosslyn-based IDI Group, would overlook the Occoquan River and enhance other projects slated to bring much-needed new retail, office space, and high-end housing to the county's eastern side, its supporters say. The plans for Rivergate call for 720 condominium units in three, 15-story buildings. This is the view from Route 1. Even so, the project has already drawn disapproval. With 720 units, it could also overwhelm the region's transportation system, critics say, adding more traffic to an already congested Interstate 95, Route 1 and even the region's commuter rail system, Virginia Railway Express, which is already at capacity.

Occoquan Problems: Runoff, Dissolved Oxygen
WTOP News; June 20 2005
… The aim is to help planners develop long-term plans for controlling urban runoff, agricultural runoff and other pollution sources in the watershed. Runoff from agricultural and urban areas is the biggest threat to the 1,700-acre Occoquan Reservoir, Grizzard says.

County Seeks Limits On Treatment Plant; Safeguards Sought for Drinking Water
William Branigin, Washington Post; September 25, 2003
Concerned about an adverse impact on a major source of drinking water for Northern Virginia, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is urging state authorities to keep a tight rein on Fauquier County's plans to expand a sewage treatment plant. The supervisors approved a motion by Chairman Katherine K. Hanley (D) on Sept. 15 to ask the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the State Water Control Board to require the Fauquier County Water and Sanitation Authority to pay for new water quality monitoring stations if it goes ahead with its plan to expand Vint Hill Farms Station Wastewater Treatment Plant.