Memorandum
From: Goose Creek Association, Board of Directors
Bonnie Mattingly, Co-Chair Loudoun County
To: Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
Re: Comments Regarding Loudoun Water and the Running Dry of Goose Creek
Date: June 13, 2016
Loudoun Water halted the flow of water from Beaverdam Reservoir during the summer of 2015 thereby causing Goose Creek to run dry.
Letting the stream run dry by artificial means has an unnecessary and likely detrimental impact on the natural, aquatic life of the stream with other negative impacts as well (such as sediment disturbance). The dams were to control the flow of the Goose Creek and ensure sufficient drinking water to the community. The dams were not intended to stop the entire flow of water absent a drought for reasons unrelated to the provision of drinking water during a drought.
The Board of Directors of the Goose Creek Association recommends to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors that this matter and the actions taken or not taken by Loudoun Water which allowed the lower Goose Creek to run dry during the summer of 2015 should be taken under consideration to determine the impacts on the Creek and related wildlife and aquatic life. The Public should be made aware of all findings. Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Bonnie Mattingly, Co-Chair
The Goose Creek Association is a registered, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with six hundreds of members from Loudoun and Fauquier counties who share a determination to protect and preserve the natural resources, historic heritage and rural quality of life found in this beautiful part of Virginia.
Founded in 1970 to fight the discharge of sewage effluent into Goose Creek, today the GCA is involved in a number of critical issues on both local and state levels to maintain and improve the quality of the Goose Creek watershed, which feeds into the Potomac and Chesapeake watersheds.
GCA works through an active board charged with monitoring stream water quality, proposed developments, legislation, zoning changes and other actions that have potential impact on the environment and quality of life in this region; and, taking appropriate steps to forestall or encourage these changes.
We actively support the work of other like-minded regional groups, both in spirit and with tangible support. We work to unite with the many conservation and preservation efforts to provide a unified voice for conservation/preservation–minded citizens in the area.
