Protecting the Occoquan Reservoir: Our Shared Water Source

The quality of our reservoir and the quality of our watershed are interconnected. “It doesn’t take a lot of development to start to see impacts,” explained Dr. Stephen Souza. 

That’s because development changes hydrology, i.e. how water flows during and after storm events. As land is developed, impervious surfaces replace farmland and forests, resulting in an increase in stormwater runoff and a decrease in groundwater recharge.

[Source EPA]

Land Use, the Occoquan Reservoir Watershed and You

"The streams in the downzoned area are amongst the most pristine highest quality in [Fairfax] county. So it is a protection strategy.” -- Greg Prelowicz, Fairfax Water

Prelowicz was referring to the 41,000 acres within the Occoquan watershed that were downzoned in 1982 to 1 house per 5 acres in Fairfax. 

As part of a series on Source Water protection, we were joined on Monday, September 13th, by Greg Prelewicz, Planning Dept. Manager, and Nicki Bellezza, Watershed Protection Specialist from Fairfax Water.

Join us next week for an in-depth look at how development within the Occoquan Watershed affects the water quality, aesthetics, recreational uses, and ecological balance of the Occoquan Reservoir and the streams that drain to it. Register here!