Steve Burns
WMAL.com
FAIRFAX, Va. – (WMAL) They know this will not be an easy process. People in Fairfax County aren’t exactly jumping at the idea of putting a new sewage dumping facility in their neighborhood. But that’s the unenviable task at hand for Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services over the next year.
“It’s tricky. Fairfax County is built out,” Public Works spokesman Matthew Kaiser tells WMAL. “There’s obviously a bad reputation for septage. But this stuff has to go somewhere and Fairfax County, by law, has to take care of this material.”
21,000 county homes, especially in the Great Falls and Oakton areas, are not connected to the county’s sewage system. They must have their individual septic tanks emptied every five years. Port-o-potty waste and restaurant grease are also added to the collection. The current site at Colvin Run has been in use since the 1970s, Kaiser says, and is well past its useful life. Add the fact that it’s on a flood plain with a fairly obvious stench, and Fairfax knows it’s high time to find a new spot.
“It’s an old system, essentially a pipe in the ground. Technology’s come a long way since then” Kaiser says. “Facilities now include washing machines for the trucks. There’s usually better security. The whole operation is more buttoned up with odor control, spillage control, the works.”
Still, Kaiser understands the visceral reaction to the potential of a new raw sewage dumping site in any given neighborhood.
“We’re looking, essentially, at places that are away from people and neighborhoods. It’s an activity that we would want to have established a certain distance from people.”
The search for a new site has seen several false starts over the last few months as residents object to the latest proposed spot. One area since vetoed was the Lake Fairfax Maintenance Area 6 on the Reston/Vienna line. Those who spoke up at a contentious public hearing noted how close it is to homes and parks. The search was then restarted, with the goal of reviewing more feasible sites over the next year. Kaiser says his department has work to do to change public perception.
“If you look at modern technology of these new buildings, they really are airtight. They really are built with more of a secure environment,” Kaiser says. “I think we have some work to do on our part as far as educating the public about the type of building it would be. It would really just blend in.”
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