Clogged wastewater pipes will once again require a temporary shutdown of Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.
The park at 7400 Georgetown Pike is scheduled to close next Monday, Feb. 17 so a contractor’s crews can address a “critical blockage” stopping up the siphon system that carries wastewater from McLean, under the Potomac River and into Maryland, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services announced yesterday (Wednesday).
“To fully access the blockage and perform the necessary work, contractors require access to the Scott’s Run wastewater vaults within Scotts Run Nature Preserve,” DPWES said in a press release. “This emergency work is essential to maintaining uninterrupted service and preventing potential wastewater overflow into the Potomac River.”
The emergency repairs continue an operation that began last spring and focused on clearing an estimated 80 tons of sediment from county-owned siphon pipes that pass through Carderock National Park in Maryland to DC Water’s Potomac Interceptor.
An inspection revealed that two of the three pipes were inoperational, raising the risk of sewage ending up in the Potomac River if the last pipe failed, DPWES said when announcing in March 2024 that Scott’s Run Nature Preserve would temporarily close.
The park reopened in late May, in time for Memorial Day, though the Fairfax County Park Authority indicated that additional work may be needed in the future.
According to the project page, the contractor hired by DPWES resumed cleaning the siphon pipes in December, and gate repair work was scheduled to start on Jan. 2, but those activities didn’t disrupt access to the park at all.
The upcoming work, however, will require closures of all trails and parking areas “to ensure public safety and protect natural resources,” starting Monday, according to DPWES.
The department estimates that the repairs will take up to eight weeks, but no definitive end date has been determined, since the timeline depends on “the extent of the blockage and the prevailing weather conditions during the project window.”
Contractors will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. when the weather permits.
“The public will be notified [when] the park re-opens,” DPWES said.
