Bubbling up: What Did The Occoquan Model Find Beneath the Surface?

Prince William Conservation Alliance

January 22 | 7 pm via zoom Free - Registration required Several years ago, as Prince William County began its Comprehensive Plan update and large-scale data center development accelerated, concerns grew about increasing development pressure within the Occoquan Reservoir watershed, a significant drinking water resource for county residents on the eastern end. In response, Fairfax Water formally urged the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors to convene a comprehensive study to evaluate how major planning initiatives could impact water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir. The Board elected to move forward with the Occoquan Model study only after key land-use decisions were already made, including approval of the Comprehensive Plan update, the Digital Gateway, and an additional 40 million square feet of data centers. Now, the results of the long-awaited study are in! Join us Thursday, January 22 at 7:00 PM (via Zoom) for a timely community presentation on the newly completed 2040 Occoquan Land Use Report, featuring Dr. Siddharth Saksena, one of the report’s primary authors. This presentation will explore: - How future land-use scenarios were projected for the Occoquan watershed through the year 2040 - The methodology used to simulate land cover and climate impacts on water quantity and quality - Key findings related to watershed flows and selected pollutants using the legacy Occoquan model - Limitations of the current projections and simulations - Next steps to improve confidence in predictions through the new Occoquan Watershed Modeling Framework (OWMF) Opening remarks will be provided by Norm Goulet, Director of Environmental and Resiliency Planning for the Northern Virginia Regional Commission; and Dr. Stan Grant, Director of the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory. The Occoquan Reservoir is a regionally vital drinking water and recreational resource. Its health depends on the land-use decisions made around it. This presentation offers critical insights for our community and continues PWCA’s effort to explore how smart growth can protect our drinking water supplies while we continue to build vibrant communities in places that make sense. The future of our water starts with the decisions we make today. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss!