LETTER: Fairfax Water Authority’s call to study data centers’ expansion another red flag


March 31, 2022

Somebody is always throwing cold water on the Prince William Digital Gateway.  This week’s bucket in the face is courtesy of the Fairfax County Water Authority.

 

In its letter of March 21st, Fairfax Water said: “communities in most areas of Eastern Prince William County rely on the Occoquan Reservoir as their primary supply of drinking water, as do the City of Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and portions of Fairfax County”.  Also: “Prince William County has the largest portion of land area within the Occoquan Watershed in its jurisdiction” and “substantial changes in land use patterns in areas of Prince William County will impact water quality in the watershed and Reservoir.”

 

Fairfax Water’s recommendation stated: “To ensure continued protection of the Occoquan Reservoir, we ask that Prince William County request that the Occoquan Basin Policy Board convene and oversee a Comprehensive Study of the proposed Planning initiatives – the Comprehensive Plan Update, Digital Gateway Corridor, and Data Center Opportunity Overlay District – to evaluate their impact on water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir.”

 

The two paragraphs above contain direct quotes from our area’s water quality experts.  These comments echo similar cautions previously issued by the Sierra Club, the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development and Prince William County’s own Watershed Management Division. 

 

Are our leaders going to ignore multiple red flags?  Are we really going to sacrifice the health of our citizens to satisfy some developer’s dream?  Get involved before you learn the answer is “yes”.

 

Bill Wright

Gainesville


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