Do you drink water? If you do, and you live in Prince William County, you won’t want to miss this community discussion around a key strategy to protect our drinking water and a recreational asset.
When: Thursday, December 11th – 7pm via zoom
Free Registration
Prince William County’s Occoquan Reservoir Protection Area (ORPA), created in 2022 to safeguard the region’s drinking-water supply, is already being tested by new development proposals such as Hoadly Square and Maple Valley Grove. Although ORPA was designed to limit density, preserve forest cover, and reduce runoff into the reservoir, the county is now considering removing land from ORPA to allow more intensive development and to allow maximum housing density. If approved, this will likely lead to more requests to do the same.
Environmental protection is being unnecessarily pitted against our need for affordable housing. With comprehensive planning, we can do both. PWCA’s 3Rs of Reaching Our Potential provides a clear framework, plus the current county Comprehensive Plan already allows for significant growth. Adding to it isn’t necessary.
Join the Prince William Conservation Alliance and the Mid-County Civic Association on Thursday, December 11th at 7 p.m. for a focused community briefing on ORPA, groundwater and reservoir protection, and the development proposals raising questions about the county’s long-term drinking-water strategy. Former County Arborist Julie Flanagan will share expert insights on watershed protection, the importance of forest cover, and the limits of engineered stormwater solutions. We’ll also review the Planning Commission’s recent recommendation to deny both projects and discuss what to expect at the Board of Supervisors public hearing on December 16th.