utilities

Countywide

Fairfax County questions Dominion over cost of connecting renewable energy to grid

By James Jarvis
Workers install solar panels on Reston Fire Station 25 (courtesy Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination)

Fearing that new interconnection rules from Dominion Energy could derail its carbon reduction targets, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has asked Virginia’s utility regulator to step in.

In a near-unanimous vote, supervisors authorized Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw on March 19 to send a letter asking the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to evaluate whether the new regulations create unnecessary hurdles for small renewable energy projects attempting to join the power grid.

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Reston Association referendum to repeal central cooling system requirement fails

By Fatimah Waseem
Townhomes in Reston's Waterview cluster are among the Lake Anne residences served by RELAC (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The air-conditioning system that has long served many homes in Reston’s Lake Anne area will still be required for 343 homes after a referendum failed to pass.

Only 165 of the 343 residents who received a ballot from Reston Association voted to revoke a provision of RA’s covenants that required those living within specific residential clusters to use the Reston Lake Anne Air-Conditioning Corporation’s (RELAC) cooling services.

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Referendum vote to remove AC mandate for Lake Anne area homes set for March

By Fatimah Waseem
Townhomes in Reston's Waterview cluster are among the Lake Anne residences served by RELAC (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Over 600 Lake Anne area residents served by the now-defunct Reston Lake Anne Air-conditioning Corporation (RELAC) may soon be responsible for installing their own air-conditioning units.

After historically requiring certain residences to utilize RELAC, Reston Association’s Board of Directors will hold a referendum vote next month to change its restrictive covenant to accommodate other cooling services and options.

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Fairfax Water to replace and expand 71-year-old tank in Idylwood

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax Water plans to replace a water tank that has stood in the Poplar Heights neighborhood since 1952 (via Fairfax Water)

A water tank erected in Idylwood around the time of the Korean War is on its last legs, Fairfax Water says.

The water authority is seeking to replace the 71-year-old Poplar Heights tank with a bigger, elevated tank that will be able to hold approximately 1.25 million gallons of water, according to an application submitted in December to Fairfax County’s planning department.

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Cause of ‘dramatic’ explosion during fire in Bailey’s Crossroads identified

By Angela Woolsey
The Fairfax County Fire and Department responds to a utility emergency at Build America Plaza in Bailey's Crossroads (via FCFRD/Twitter)

An explosion that occurred while firefighters were putting out a blaze at Build America Plaza in Bailey’s Crossroads in early November was caused by a backdraft, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says.

Investigators have determined that the fire and “dramatic” explosion were accidental, resulting from degraded power lines that arced and sparked an “underground fire involving the insulation of adjacent communication lines,” the FCFRD reported today (Tuesday).

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Countywide

Fairfax County seeks to regulate ‘high-pressure’ gas pipelines in residential areas

By Angela Woolsey
Pimmit Hills community members rally against Washington Gas' proposed natural gas pipeline in 2020 (courtesy Devin Buries)

Fairfax County is exploring avenues for regulating or even prohibiting the construction of high-pressure natural gas pipelines under residential streets.

The county’s Board of Supervisors directed staff last week (Dec. 5) to evaluate options for “Board evaluation of, or possible prohibition of” gas pipelines that utilize local street rights-of-way based on their size, the type of pipe used and other operational factors.

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Longtime air-conditioning provider for Lake Anne residents halts operations

By Fatimah Waseem
Townhomes in Reston's Waterview cluster are among the Lake Anne residences served by RELAC (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 10 a.m. on 12/13/2023) A community-oriented utility company that offers chilled water for air-conditioning has iced out over 600 customers in Reston.

Reston Lake Anne Air-conditioning Corporation (RELAC) announced yesterday (Monday) that it plans to halt its cooling system after this year, citing increased electrical costs and the refusal of some customers to pay their utility bills.

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UPDATED: Firefighters face explosion while responding to ‘utility emergency’ at Bailey’s Crossroads

By Angela Woolsey
The Fairfax County Fire and Department responds to a utility emergency at Build America Plaza in Bailey's Crossroads (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 8:45 p.m.) An explosion occurred while Fairfax County firefighters were addressing “a utility emergency” at Build America Plaza in Bailey’s Crossroads earlier this evening (Monday).

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel, including an investigator, were dispatched to the shopping center at 3819 South George Mason Drive around 4:30 p.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

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NOW: McLean’s Kirby Road caves under water main break, requiring closure

By Angela Woolsey
Kirby Road in McLean has caved in after a water main break (via FCPD/Twitter)

A key commuter road in McLean could be closed for days after getting seriously damaged by a water main break this morning (Friday).

Police officers responded to Kirby Road around 4:45 a.m., shutting down both lanes between Sugarstone Court and Claiborne Drive. A video shared by the Fairfax County Police Department shows water gushing up onto the asphalt roadway, buckling what appears to be the southbound lane.

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Project to underground Tysons electric line will close trail next month

By Angela Woolsey
Vesper Trail will close for construction to underground a power line in the Spring Hill area of Tysons (via Dominion Energy)

Construction is about to ramp up on Dominion Energy’s undergrounding of a power line near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

The project will require an extended closure of the entire Vesper Trail from Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) to Vesper Street at Higdon Drive, starting Nov. 1, the utility company recently told residents in the area.

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