Courtesy of The Potomac News, October 3, 2007
© 2003 The Potomac News

Occoquan River Water Receding

By Aileen M. Streng

Members of the Prince William Crew Association estimate that the Occoquan River is receding 18 inches per day, but so far the county has not issued water restrictions like several other area
jurisdictions.

Docks sit high and dry on mud flats at the Lake Ridge Marina where water levels in a cove on the riverbank could be down as much as four feet.

On Tuesday, the marina, which limited its operations about a month ago, closed for the rest of the season.

"There is just not enough water for us to operate," said Jennifer Bowen, spokeswoman for the Prince William Park Authority.

Fall crew camps for about 100 novices from five Prince William high schools were postponed again for the second week -- and will likely be canceld for the season.

Crew teams from Woodbridge, Gar-Field, Hylton, Forest Park and Potomac high schools row out of the Oxford Boathouse at the Lake Ridge Marina.

"It's not safe [for the novices.] There is not enough water out there for them to maneuver in and learn what to do," said Ginny Fichten, administrator of the fall crew camps for the Prince William Crew Association. "There is no room for error."

In recent weeks, the crew association has been taking daily measurements at the river's edge in the cove. "If you think about 18 inches all along the edges, that is that much less water you have to maneuver in," Fichten said.

Mandatory Water restrictions were issued last month in Stafford County and voluntary restrictions in the city of Manassas. Loudoun County also enacted mandatory water restrictions on Tuesday.

"We are not calling for any water restrictions at this time," said Keenan Howell, spokesman for the
Prince William Service Authority.

The service authority buys most of its drinking water from the Fairfax County Water Authority that in
turn draws its water from the Occoquan and Potomac rivers.

The water levels of the Occoquan River are about 55 percent lower than normal, said Jeanne
Bailey, spokeswoman for the Fairfax County Water Authority.

"We've seen it worse, but it is low," Bailey said.

As a result, "we are using less water from the Occoquan and more from the Potomac," Bailey said.

Fairfax also has about 17 billion gallons of water in reserve that has not been touched.

"Everyone is on a heightened state of awareness," Bailey said. "There is a drought. It is dry, but
the Potomac is doing well."

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is expected this week to announce a regional drought plan to raise awareness of the drought conditions and encourage conservation. This part of the drought plan does not call for any regional water restrictions.

"We always want to encourage people to use water wisely. Don't water the sidewalks. Be sensible about how you use water," she said.

At the Lake Ridge Marina, experienced rowers are still being allowed out on the Occoquan, but Fichten said that they continue to have difficulties due to the shallow water.
"They are telling us it's hard out there," Fichten said. "It used to be a straight shot out of the cove. Now they have to zigzag and start and stop to stay in the channel."

All the rowers are now forced to put their boats in and out of the river from the one remaining dock that extends far enough out into the cove to still be in water.

Additionally, sandbars are now appearing as new islands in the Occoquan and have to be maneuvered around. "It's like going past a mountain in the middle of the river," Fichten said.
Fitchen, who has been active in the crew association for seven years, said she couldn't remember a similar situation with the river. "And, I can't find anyone else who has been here that can recall it ever being this low," she said. "We've never had our docks go dry."

Bowen said that the last time the marina's operations were impacted by low water levels was in 2001, "but within a few weeks we were back to normal," Bowen said.

This year, the marina began curtailing its operations in late August when receding water called for the closing of its public boat ramp.

"The impact of this is that we are the only public boat launch on the Prince William County side [of the Occoquan] and the public can't launch any motor boats," Bowen said.

While the marina's rentals of canoes, johnboats and paddleboats had continued, they had to be moved to the end of one of the docks in order to keep them in the water.

Even there, the river is only a foot deep.

All marina activities have now halted until it reopens next spring.