Occoquan Watershed Coalition

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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Downzoning of Fairfax County's Occoquan Watershed
Why are we celebrating?

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has designated 2002 as Occoquan Watershed Year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Board's decision to downzone 41,000 acres of the watershed in Fairfax County. The decision was upheld by a landmark court decision in 1985 and has withstood numerous challenges since that time. The purpose of the downzoning was to protect the quality of the county's water supply.

What is the Occoquan Watershed?

The Occoquan Watershed consists of all the land, including the tributary streams, which drain into the Occoquan River and the Occoquan Reservoir, the watershed's largest body of water. Fairfax County is one of several jurisdictions in the 600-square-mile watershed area that include parts of Prince William, Fauquier, and Loudoun Counties.

What did the downzoning do?

The downzoning successfully protected the water quality of the watershed by limiting land-disturbing activities. This includes limiting the number of houses that can be built to one per five acres and requiring stringent treatment of stormwater runoff. A recent county study showed that some of our healthiest streams with the best water quality are in the Occoquan Watershed. The reservoir now supplies safe drinking water to over a million residents in Northern Virginia.

What else is in the watershed?

The Fairfax County portion of the Occoquan Watershed includes the communities of Centreville, Chantilly, Pleasant Valley, Fairfax Station, Butts Corner, Westfields and Sully Station, and the Town of Clifton. There are 31 Fairfax County parks in the watershed, including Sully, Braddock, Twin Lakes and Ellanor C. Lawrence, and five regional parks, including Fountainhead, Occoquan, Hemlock Overlook, Sandy Run and Bull Run Marina. In addition, the watershed is home to 23 public schools and 29 streams.

What is being done now to maintain water quality in the watershed?

Fairfax County has completed a Stream Protection Strategy Baseline Study of all streams in the county. The next step is a Watershed Master Planning initiative that will map all streams including those in the Occoquan. Citizen volunteers are helping to monitor the watershed's streams and participating in stream clean ups. As part of the Occoquan Watershed Year celebration, a special task force is being formed to look at what can be done in the future to maintain the high water quality in the watershed.



What can I do?
  • Use water wisely every day.
  • Compost yard waste.
  • Keep storm drains clear and don't dump. Storm drains carry pollution directly to your neighborhood streams and can harm people, plants and animals.
  • Properly dispose of litter and animal waste, making sure household trash is placed in a tightly sealed container.
  • Recycle used motor oil, antifreeze and car batteries. Call 703-324-5052 or click here for information about recycling.
  • Landscape your lawn, planting on bare spots to prevent erosion.
  • Join a stream team or watershed group. (See groups listed below.)

Contact Information

For more information about the Occoquan Watershed or to get involved in protecting our water quality, contact: