Over 200 people attended the Oct. 18 conference focused on steps to address climate change’s impact on waterways.
Temperatures are rising. Storms are more intense. Flooding is more frequent, several speakers asserted at the third annual Climate Action Conference on Oct. 18 at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Climate change is here and affecting Northern Virginia, they argued to over 200 attendees.
New 11th district Congressman James Walkinshaw, who organized the first climate conference in 2023 as Braddock district’s member of the Board of Supervisors, lauded Fairfax County’s climate initiatives. He dubbed the current U. S. Environmental Protection Agency a “climate denial machine” and said, “I’ve been in Congress for six weeks. It’s hard to see what’s taking place in Washington, D.C. and not feel deeply alarmed at the moment when the planet is sending every possible warning, like rising seas and record heat. We’re moving backwards.” Walkinshaw was elected on Sept. 9 after Congressman Gerry Connolly died in May.
More Flooding
“No one has zero risk of flooding,” Chris Herrington warned. Herrington is the Director of Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.
He described three types of flooding: riverine, when water surges over creek and river banks into floodplains; urban flooding in low-lying areas where existing infrastructure is not appropriately sized; and coastal flooding. Because the Mount Vernon magisterial district borders the tidal Potomac and Occoquan Rivers, he said the Mount Vernon area is “at significant risk from tidal surge.” While there is some flood control infrastructure in place, “Once it’s overwhelmed, [flooding] goes into neighborhoods,” he explained.
Storm events are more costly today than in past years. “Who pays for it?,” he posed. “We do.”
Drinking Water
Jamie Bain Hedges, General Manager of Fairfax Water, the local authority that processes 170 million gallons of water daily for two million people, explained that their plant treats water from two sources: the Potomac River, which has a 10,000-square-mile watershed spanning four states, and the Occoquan reservoir, into which water drains from a 590-square-mile watershed.
A warming climate affects drinking water in several ways, Hedges explained. Increasing climate variability leads to more variability in water supply, in part because of longer and more severe droughts and more uncertain stream flows. Intense storms carry more sediments and pollutants into the water supply, which then require treatment. Hotter water promotes algae growth. She cited as an example, a 2024 Potomac River “big event” when “the water was green” from algae growth. “It was a big wake-up call and we had to add more chemicals to treat it,” she said.
Another challenge is winter de-icing salts flowing off roads and parking lots. Fairfax Water cannot remove salt with existing technology, she said.
Warmer, Rising Seas
Keynote speaker Anna-Marie Laura, the Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Climate Policy, reported that 2024 was “the hottest year on record.” Climate change is warming the ocean, she said, which leads to, “heavier, less predictable and more frequent storms” and “more destructive hurricanes.”
Echoing her comments, Virginia Delegate David Bulova, chair of the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission, said that sea level rose one foot over the last century and in the next century will rise 1.2 to 1.5 additional feet. Higher sea levels can bring more flooding and inundate coastal wetlands, which are important to water quality and flood control. Because designers of much stormwater infrastructure built in the 1980s and 1990s did not factor in climate change, it will need retrofitting, he posited.
Chris Koerner, a Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District board member, said, “Science and facts matter.” He said more impervious surfaces increase stream flow intensity that peaks rapidly, erodes banks, lessens aquifer recharge and sends pollutants like pesticides, oils and salts into water bodies. He recommended more “conservation landscaping, replacing turf with gardens and using rain barrels and rain gardens to retain water on land.”
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez touted Fairfax County’s “science- based solutions” and reported that the county will update the stormwater ordinance to make “failing to maintain stormwater facilities a violation,” for example.
Fairfax County resident Susan Miles said, “I have come to all three conferences and I have learned a lot and gotten actionable information. Here you can talk to experts. I have made changes. I bought an electric vehicle and installed solar.”
Seventeen organizations and five county agencies had exhibits.
What People Can Do
In a breakout session titled “Rethinking Runoff,” Fairfax Water’s Nikki Bellezza offered a motto: Slow it down, soak it in, spread it out. She recommends that homeowners create a no-mow zone and convert grass to native plants.
Shannon Curtis, a county public works official, stressed, “Only rain goes down the storm drain.” He listed as common sources of pollutants pet waste, litter, bacteria and pathogens. He urged people washing cars at home to direct the runoff to land, not onto streets because it can pollute streams. He urged the audience to plant drought-resistant native trees and plants and to reduce water use.
On flooding, Herrington advised, “There will always be risk. Know your own risk.”
“You can control what you do,” Curtis challenged.