July 10, 2022
I was horrified to learn that the officials from Fairfax Water, Virginia Tech’s Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Northern Virginia Regional Commission were kept waiting in the lobby outside the Board of County Supervisors’ chambers for six to seven hours prior to their presentation on water quality and supply in Prince William County.
They were gracious in thanking you for the invitation, despite having to stand by at your pleasure for an unconscionable amount of time. This appeared to be a deliberate move by the Chair who should have control of the agenda.
The Occoquan Watershed Model presenter, Norm Goulet, stated that although OWM does not currently address salt, it could be calibrated to do so. No further inquiry or request was made by the board.
The county staff recognizes that a water study is clearly a prudent measure before approving the major zoning change like the Prince William Digital Gateway proposed along Pageland Lane. Why have these and other environmental issues been ignored by the board?
Heidi Whitesel
Gainesville