Lake Accotink facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Accotink
Lake Accotink
Lake Accotink Location in Virginia Show map of Virginia Lake Accotink Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	38°47′35″N 77°13′06″W / 38.793169°N 77.218316°W / 38.793169; -77.218316
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Accotink Creek
Primary outflows	Accotink Creek
Basin countries	United States

Lake Accotink is a reservoir in North Springfield in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Lake Accotink is formed by the damming of Accotink Creek. The lake is surrounded by Lake Accotink Park.

The lake

The lake is 55 acres, and the surrounding park is 493. The primary inflow and outflow is Accotink Creek, which is dammed on the south side, near a Norfolk Southern railway trestle. During 2010, the dam underwent construction. Boat rentals had to be suspended during that time.

Recreation

The park has bikes, canoes, paddleboats, and rowboats available for rent. Visitors can also ride tour boats, or walk or run the 3.75 miles (6.04 km) trail loop around the lake. Other trails stretch beyond the park and connect to the Cross County Trail, with its running trails and mountain biking trail. A miniature golf course surrounds an antique carousel near the south entrance to the park. Gas-powered motorboats are not allowed on the lake.

Services

At the snack bar/boathouse visitors can purchase chips, drinks, and other snacks. Pavilions can be reserved for parties or other special occasions. An antique carousel runs during the summer, and there are playgrounds near the pavilions. Close to the playground are picnic areas with grills. A wide range of summer camps are available during the summer.

Wildlife

Lake Accotink hosts a great variety of wildlife. Waterfowl such as great blue herons, ducks, and Canada geese float on the water. Birds like seagulls, American robins, swifts, swallows, osprey, and occasionally bald eagles inhabit the park. Red foxes, white-tailed deer and beaver dams are common along the edges of the lake along with cottonmouth snakes and skinks.

History

The Norfolk Southern Railway Washington District crosses the valley just downstream of the dam forming Lake Accotink.

Lake Accotink was constructed in 1943-44 by the U.S. Army as a reservoir for Fort Belvoir. The dam impounding the Accotink Creek was built on the site of a previous dam which had existed for that same purpose from 1918 to 1922.

The discharge of sewage treatment plants in Fairfax and Vienna into the Accotink Creek eventually led to the contamination of the water to the point where it was no longer fit for drinking, and the Army sought to dispose of the reservoir.

The area had been open to recreational use previously, but the Army's discontinuing use of the reservoir led to closing of the site, as guards were no longer posted. After the land and reservoir were officially declared as surplus, Fairfax County in 1958 expressed its interest in acquiring the land and reservoir for use as a public park and recreation area.

Although the reservoir had previously been declared surplus, the Army decided it wanted to retain title to the property in case of future need. In March 1960, Fairfax was awarded a 25-year license to develop the lake for public park and recreational use. Shortly thereafter, the reservoir was officially renamed Lake Accotink.

In 1964, Lake Accotink was declared surplus and put up for auction. The Fairfax County Park Authority was the high bidder, and officially purchased the 242-acre tract, including the 100-acre lake, for $176,500 in April 1965.

Fairfax County Park Authority Director James D. Bell closed Lake Accotink in June 1970 when samples taken from Accotink Creek above the lake were found to be so contaminated with intestinal bacteria from the City of Fairfax's overloaded sewage treatment plant that the water was a health hazard. Following the closure of the Fairfax City sewage plant and the connection of the city to the county's sewer system in February 1971, Director Bell announced a plan to drain, refill and restock the lake with fish.

Despite the closure of the sewage plant and the draining and refilling of the lake, tests still showed the lake as being too polluted to use, as runoff from development had silted the 80-acre lake and trapped the filth in sediment. The lake was finally opened in July 1971, although only for boating and fishing, as it was still too polluted to swim in.

In September 2014, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors funded a $179,000 study of Lake Accotink Park,

Images for kids

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  View along the dam