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Letter From Lorton -
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In our neighboring watershed, stream defenders still need further cleanup action:
A serious misunderstanding exists regarding the trash dumps in Giles Run!
1.) In their June 26th visit to Giles Run, Fairfax County Fire and
Investigative Services reported "less than twenty tires along the stream
bank and in the water". In my July 3rd visit to Giles Run I located
and counted over 200 waste tires along the embankment, in the floodplain and
stream bed of Giles Run! 2.) The Battalion Chief and Hazardous Materials Investigator stated they found some, "old, partially buried vehicle parts". In my visit, I located and marked, a partially-buried entire automobile, engines, transmissions, axles, chassis', body panels, seat cushions, lead/acid storage batteries, and literally tons of rusted automotive related trash and debris strewn along the south bank of Giles Run. I flagged, with 100 red markers, the locations of 200+ waste tires (some in clusters) and quantities of automotive debris along the embankment, floodplain and streambed at Giles. 3.) The recent storm water surges in late June have scoured the streambed and caused some debris to be partially buried in silt, while uncovering other debris and flushing the trash downstream past Richmond Highway into BLM's Meadowood Recreation Area and Massey Creek in the Harbor View community of Mason Neck. 4.) Friends of Meadowood volunteers adopted the segment of Giles Run (Richmond Highway - Massey Creek) in 2006 under the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation "Adopt a Stream" Program and have performed regular litter collection projects. During each clean-up, our volunteers struggle to remove hundreds of waste tires and other trash that have migrated downstream. It is intensive labor to remove a heavy tire filled with silt from the streambed, and drag it to a roadside collection point for proper disposal. How long do you think the volunteers would be willing to continue this effort? 5.) The Office of the Fire Marshall has done a commendable job in getting the property owner of AAAA Used Auto Parts to remove 4000+ waste tires from the junkyard. This issue is no longer a hazmat/fire Safety issue. The trash dump in Giles Run is a serious environmental problem that needs to be mitigated without further delay. 6.) Fairfax County and DEQ need to enforce the anti-dumping ordinance and require the responsible party, i.e., the property owner, to remove all the trash and debris from Giles Run and its surrounding flood plain. 7.) If we cannot clean up Giles, a Resource Protection Area, what hope do our citizens have in attempting to protect the Potomac River watershed and to preserve the Chesapeake Bay? I would be happy to accompany any Fairfax County or DEQ Environmental Inspector to Giles Run. Thank you for your support for the environment of Fairfax County.
Best regards,
Positive news in response to the original appeal below: The Fairfax County Fire Marshall’s Office called me with a follow-up on the tire dump in Giles Run in Lorton. An inspector visited the site of the tire dump in the creek and the AAAACo Used Auto Parts property at 10212 Richmond Highway. He also did an aerial survey via helicopter to assess the location of the tires and the property boundaries. He met with the manager and together, walked the area, both inside and outside the property. A large quantity of scrap tires were found inside the property which were declared a fire hazard. This material was ordered to be removed immediately. The manager complied and these tires were removed. The inspector informed the manager that the tires and other debris outside the fence line and in Giles Run (more than 2000 tires) are the responsibility of AAAACo and must be removed within thirty (30) days. The manager agreed to comply with the directive of the Fire Marshall’s Office and promised to remove the tires and debris from Giles Run. The inspector said he will perform follow-up inspections in approximately two weeks and again as needed until all the tires and debris have been removed for proper disposal.
Best regards, Subject: Trash Dump in Giles Run - Lorton A very large quantity of trash and debris has been illegally dumped into Giles Run in Lorton. Motor vehicles, engines, automobile parts, and more than one thousand scrap tires are in the creek and surrounding floodplain.
This section of Giles Run is between Richmond Highway (US#1) and Interstate-I-95 and is adjacent to the AAAACO Auto Parts yard at 10212 Richmond Highway in Lorton. There is no road or trail to this dump site and the debris is spread across several hundred yards below an embankment from the AAAACO Auto Parts (junk yard) paralleling Giles Run . It is difficult access from Richmond Highway and may not be suitable for a volunteer clean-up or Eagle Scout project. There is a huge volume of debris, perhaps 1000 tire carcasses, an old auto, engine blocks, and other debris, some buried in silt and overgrown with brush. It is apparent that removing this large volume of trash from Giles Run for proper disposal will require motorized equipment and appreciable manpower at significant expense. The trash and debris appears to have been dumped down the embankment into the creek some years ago. The illegal dumping of scrap tires in Accotink Creek and recent incidents of large quantities of scrap tires dumped into Little Hunting Creek, Little Rocky Run, and more, indicate this is a county-wide issue that needs to be confronted by Fairfax County. Many Fairfax County communities been plagued for many years by illegal dumping of scrap tires and other debris along VDOT Rights-of-Way on our neighborhood streets and highways and into our rivers and streams. The Lorton area is particularly prone to illegal dumping incidents due to its proximity to the Lorton Waste to Energy Recovery Facility. The county charges $3.00 per scrap tire at the Citizen Disposal Facility in Lorton. Rather than pay this “tipping fee”, the violators simply dump their trash along our neighborhood streets and into our rivers and streams. (1) - I request Fairfax County to take appropriate action to enforce existing County Ordinances regarding illegal dumping and specifically, the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act Ordinance. (2) - Fairfax County should strengthen its enforcement of existing Ordinances against illegal dumping and prosecute the offenders. The county needs also, to review the current “tipping fee” for scrap tires and consider a “bounty” or payment for scrap tires brought to the Citizen Disposal Facility in Lorton. (3) - I believe the county Department of Public Works & Environmental Services maintains a list of dump sites that have been discovered. Not all the known dump sites have been removed. The county should immediately form a task force with representatives of Solid Waste Management; DPWES; Code Compliance Office; Fairfax Police and the Sheriff’s Community Labor Force to develop a plan to enforce existing ordinances and most effective means of removing the trash and debris for proper disposal. (4) - In the event a local jurisdiction or agency decides to act on this complaint, a suitable approach would be to identify the "responsible party" and to enforce existing County Ordinances and Commonwealth Law to require the violator to clean-up the mess. I filed a complaint with Fairfax County Code Compliance Office and was also told that Virginia Department of Environmental Quality would coordinate investigation efforts with the inspectors from the County Code Compliance Office. I have copied this message to Mt. Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland and hope others will also forward their comments and suggestions to their Board of Supervisors representatives. Thanks to all for your support. Please let me know of your comments and ideas on how to mitigate this environmental disaster in Giles Run . Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.
Best regards,
Contact your Supervisor to send a message of support!
To report illegal dumping, call Fairfax County Police Non-Emergency at 703-691-2131. When dumping is in progress, note the nearest address and call 911. If the dumping may be a health hazard, such as tires with standing water, also call the Health Department at 703-246-2300. Contact Friends of Accotink Creek for follow-up. - November 21, 2014 | |
