Look at the creative ways they try to exploit your inattention. Did you know that our board of county supervisors has authorized a water study of the Occoquan watershed, a Sustainability Commission Report, development of a revised noise ordinance, and considering enhanced building code standards for data centers?
The results are due back about the same time as they finish pouring cement for the millions of square feet of data centers they already rushed to approve.
Youâd think if they were really interested in what they claim, they might have looked into these issues before sealing our fates with their pre-determined decisions. After all, there were certainly enough informed citizens lining up at Public Comment time pleading for them to do so. They finally got the message after the damage was done. Better late than never.
For the next few months of election season, you will hear nothing but accomplishments from this board. Just donât look too closely out your car window, and for some neighborhoods, donât even look out your back door, or you will see the reality of their âaccomplishments.â
Chair Ann Wheeler is the chief practitioner of the drive-by photo op and the innocuous âproclamation.â Throw in buttering-up a few select community members with appointments to commissions (our equivalent of ambassadorship), and youâve built a superficial following.
Howâs that working for us?
Paula Daly
Gainesville
PLN accepts letters to the editor on issues of local importance. Submit your letters to [email protected].
As the Environmental Protection Agency prepares to regulate a group of chemicals called PFAS in drinking water throughout the country, a preliminary test in 2021 showed that the water on the eastern side of Prince William County comes from the Occoquan Reservoir and was over the newly proposed limit.? Read More
The newly-planted trees on county-owned land near the bridge crossing the Occoquan Reservoir are just saplings, but in time, they will grow and create a little ecosystem.
"After probably the second year, you'll start seeing birds on the young trees," said Tim Hughes, environmental specialist with Prince William County Public Works Environmental Services Division. "Then, the natural vegetation and grasses start growing. Once the forest grows in, after about five years, it looks natural."
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Nearly 130 volunteers cleaned up the Occoquan River on Saturday, October 15.
Volunteers removed 168 bags of trash from the river. They found rusted chairs, iron beams, pillows, buckets, and seat cushions.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
The study, to be overseen by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, will examine and detail what sediments are flowing into the Occoquan Reservoir, one of the largest drinking water sources in Prince William County. Two-thirds of all stormwater runoff in the county end up in the reservoir.Â
The study comes as residents have voiced concerns that the continued development of the county's rural areas with new data center campuses would produce more sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus that can pollute the reservoir.Â
