Rivermill Park opened to the public Saturday unveiling views not seen in nearly 50 years.
Hundreds turned out for the ribbon-cutting event in Occoquan at 10 a.m. Mayor Elizabeth Quist, Fairfax Water Chairman Phil Allin, and Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart attended the event.
The new park features a walking trail, green space, performance stage, restroom facilities, and views of the Occoquan River over rocks and one of two dams used for the Occoquan Reservoir. Some likened the views to those at Great Falls National Park in Northern Virginia, where the Potomac River falls over rocks.
Locals and elected officials talked about building Rivermill Park in its current location, at the end of Mill Street in Occoquan since the early 2000s. The parkland was once a water treatment facility owned and operated by Fairfax Water, the organization that opened the water treatment plant in 1967.
The water treatment plant closed in 2007. Since then, the water company worked with Prince William County and Occoquan Town officials to build the 1.1-acre park. Fairfax Water leases the land back to the town for park use.
Prior the park’s opening, large water tanks were demolished to make way for the public green. Visitors were not permitted on the land to see the river overlook during the years the area was used as a water treatment plant.
