Fairfax County’s drinking water utility is joining several D.C.-area organizations in a regional study to evaluate backup water supply alternatives to the Potomac River.
Fairfax Water is joining Maryland’s WSSC Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a $25 million “Secure the Source” study to explore potential large-scale alternatives that could provide several weeks of emergency backup water supply for over 5 million residents in the D.C. region currently served by the Potomac.
Fairfax Water is on track to fully eliminate the last lead pipes from its network in advance of a 2027 federal deadline.
“We’ll have them replaced by the end of the year,” Fairfax Water general manager Jamie Bain Hedges said at a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) between the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and water authority board members.
A new regional study warns that the D.C. area could face water shortages as early as 2030 if a severe drought hits.
The report, released by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) last Friday (Dec. 5), says shifting weather patterns and rising demand are putting increasing pressure on the region’s supply.
The National Park Service is upgrading 14 of the water fountains along the Mount Vernon Trail and George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The newly upgraded fountains include new water bottle fillers, an amenity that the park services hopes will encourage more trail users to bring reusable bottles.
Northern Virginia’s wary embrace of data centers could have major long-term impacts on both water consumption and wastewater treatment across the region, the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) says in its annual report for 2024.
The 134-page document offers a status update and recommendations on environmental issues, including land use, air and water quality, transportation, waste management, climate change and ecological conservation.
Fairfax Water has sent about 137,000 letters to customers to help determine whether their pipes might contain traces of lead.
The utility says its source water from the Potomac River and Occoquan Reservoir has no detectable lead and maintains it has “always been in compliance” with federal drinking water guidelines.
The D.C. area’s historic rain-free streak continues after a predicted chance of precipitation this morning (Thursday) failed to materialize.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced today that it has extended a drought watch that has been in place since July, urging nearly 6 million residents and businesses in the region to take voluntary steps to conserve water.
Despite some recent rain, Fairfax County is continuing to see an unusually dry summer, raising the possibility of a drought.
The entire D.C. region, including Fairfax County, has now been placed under a Drought Watch, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced today (Monday), urging nearly 6 million residents to conserve water as much as possible.
Water and sewer rates are set to increase as part of the Town of Herndon’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025.
Released on Friday (March 29) by Town Manager Bill Ashton II, the proposed budget leaves the real estate tax rate unchanged at $0.26 per $100 of assessed value, though bills are still expected to go up due to rising property assessments.
The new year may bring changes to how water is provided in and around the Town of Vienna.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized staff on Dec. 5 to begin discussions with the town and Fairfax Water about the future of public water delivery service in areas currently served by Vienna Water.
