Wave action along the Potomac River continues to erode the shoreline at Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge.
This summer, the park will begin work to prevent shoreline erosion with a new project that calls for placing rocks that sills, or jetties parallel to the shoreline. Sand and aquatic plants will be placed behind the rocks. As plant life grows, the roots will hold the sand in place, and rocks will help stop erosion caused by wave action.
The $450,000 project is made possible by grants from Dominion Power, which gave $30,000, CSX Railroad, and The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which gave $174,000, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which gave $25,000, and monies from Prince William County wetlands mitigation funding. The work will take place this summer to meet a use it or lose it clause in Fish and Wildlife grant, said Leesylvania State Park Manager Karen Lambey.
The project will be constructed in phases, in clear view of the parks’ popular riverside picnic area. Lambey expects two of the four total sills will be constructed first, with the final sills added later.
A total of 2,600 tons of rock, 2,400 cubic yards of sand, and 14,500 plants will be used for the project. Park guests should expect to see roped-off areas near the construction site, preventing park goes from accessing it.
Construction work will take place on non-holiday weekdays and be completed this year.
Summertime park goers will still be able to use all of the amenities of Leesylvania State Park during construction. Swimming in the river along the shoreline is already prohibited.
Leesylvania State Park sits on 543 acres of land along the Potomac River in Woodbridge. It is one of the several parks along the Potomac in Northern Virginia, including Mason Neck State Park, that offers a thriving habitat for wildlife and recreation for residents.
