As the colder weather envelopes the area, going out to the parks in Fairfax County is a little tougher but the folks involved with saving Lake Accotink seem to be accepting the fact that life at the old lake will ever be the same.

Sure, the county can dish out taxpayers money to try to save the lake, and keep this Springfield amenity alive, but will it be the same fishing spot that many remember from years ago? A place to rent paddle boats and watch the waterfowl on a warm summer evening? A spot for the cardboard boat race that many enjoyed through the years?

The folks at “Save Lake Accotink,” seem a little discouraged. The sediments keep piling up in the lake are getting into the creek and traveling downstream which is not environmentally sound, but that’s what’s happening. The Board of Supervisors does not seem willing to dedicate millions of dollars to dredging either.

“We don’t know which way to go,” said Allan Robertson, one of the voices calling to “Save Lake Accotink.” There is a report on the condition of the lake and what’s possibly in store for the future but it’s not solid about what’s ahead, he says. “The report doesn’t have any recommendation,” Robertson said.

Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D) seems to be open to ideas behind saving the lake, but in mid-December with the holidays coming, the winter isn’t a good time to make Lake Accotink decisions.

“It will take some time to digest, I don’t expect any decision before April,” Robertson said. “No one knows.” 

The winter seems a good time to put it all on a shelf but with the heavy rains and possible melting snow, more sediment will flow downstream. “As much as it pains me, Save Lake Accotink is calling for an immediate scalable dredging project while scientific field studies develop the data the BOS needs for an informed decision,” Robertson wrote in a release. He even drafted a sample letter for lake supporters to use as a basis for a letter they can send to the surrounding supervisors. “I strongly urge you to allocate the necessary resources to dredge and clean up the lake and restore its ecosystem,” read part of that letter.

Supervisor Walkinshaw has a sunset picture of the lake on his supervisor website and a link to the ongoing discussion. 

Currently the lake is still there, even though it’s only about two feet deep, and the creek still carries a certain amount of sediment downstream but it’s on hold for now. Seemingly, the future of Lake Accotink is still at large.