Scott’s Run Nature Preserve will reopen tomorrow (Friday), just in time for Memorial Day, after an extended emergency closure, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced today.
The popular McLean park has been closed since late March so that crews could remove an estimated 80 tons of sediment from wastewater pipes and make necessary repairs.
“Construction fences and gates are expected to be demobilized by Friday, May 24,” the park authority said in a press release. “There is a possibility that additional work may be required later this year.”
The siphons facility in Scott’s Run includes three county-owned pipes that carry wastewater from McLean, across the Potomac River, through Carderock National Park in Maryland and to a DC Water interceptor.
An inspection revealed that two of the three pipes were inoperational, raising the risk of millions of gallons of sewage ending up in the Potomac if the last pipe failed, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services said when announcing that Scott’s Run would temporarily close starting March 28.
At the time, the closure was expected to last about six weeks, but work got delayed until April 9 due to high water levels that exceeded the capacity of the siphons facility’s vault.
“The work at the vault is dependent on the weather and the water levels in the [Potomac] river,” DPWES said in an update on the project page. “Our contractor is going onsite every morning to check the levels of the river to determine if the vault is accessible and it is safe to complete work.”
In a subsequent update on May 16, DPWES announced that the vault cleaning and inspection were being finalized, and the contractor’s crews would demobilize this week, allowing the park to reopen for Memorial Day weekend as long as the weather cooperated.
Like in past years, the park authority will enforce a number of rules designed to protect the natural habitat at Scott’s Run:
- No coolers are allowed. No alcohol or glass bottles are permitted in Scott’s Run. Bags will be checked at parking lot trailheads. Enforcement will be stepped up at the waterfall area.
- No swimming, wading or boating allowed at Scott’s Run. The beauty of the falls masks its peril. This area is subject to dangerous currents, and submerged rocks can combine with those currents to make entering the water a deadly decision. Rain upstream can raise water levels very quickly. Additionally, crowds in the water threaten the many invertebrates and the remarkable and rare plant species that call the preserve home.
- No parking is permitted in adjacent neighborhoods or along the roadway leading to the park. Parking is limited to 50 cars in the designated parking areas. Towing may be enforced.
- Dogs must be on a leash while in the park.
Located at 7400 Georgetown Pike, Scott’s Run features a network of hiking trails, streams and a variety of wildlife, including a grove of ancient hemlocks. It typically draws 600 visitors a day, but that can grow to as many as 1,000 daily visitors during the peak season from summer through early fall, the FCPA has previously said.
