Orange County Insight August 2021

Orange County Insight August 2021

VIBRANT ECONOMY l EFFECTIVE REFLECTIVE GOVERNMENT l SUSTAINABLE LAND USE

INSIGHT

Heroes Receive Lifesaving Awards Page 13 Construction of Landfill Cells II Page 3 Dogwood Village In Depth Page 7

AUGUST 2021

Ted Talk

Time to Build Our Game Plan!

As summer winds down and kids head back to school, thoughts often turn to the start of a new football season. As a life - long fan of the Washington Football Team, I long for the glory days of Coach Gibbs before he became a legend in

NASCAR. He always had a game plan.

Successful teams start with good plans, and then they roll with it. As President Eisenhower once said, “ Plans are worthless, but planning is essential. ” What did he mean by such a paradoxical observation? The details of a plan designed in advance are often incorrect, but the planning process demands the thorough exploration of options and contingences. The knowledge gained during this work is crucial to the selection of appropriate actions as future events unfold.

Over the next couple of months, our Senior Leadership Team will be developing Orange County ’ s “ game plan ” for moving our organization forward. The graphic here illustrates the five focus areas for this effort. We will be integrating Strategic Planning into our work, considering the best Structural alignment, and will seek the most useful IT, HR, and Performance Measurement Systems to create accountability and alignment. Once the plan is drafted and shared with the Board of Supervisors, we will be looking to “ recruit ” players from across the team to execute on this playbook.

This is an exciting time for Orange County, and I look forward to coaching this team towards a winning season.

Ted Voorhees– Orange County Administrator

Cover photo by Michelle Williams

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Page | August, 2021

Harmful Algae Bloom Advisory Issued for Orange County The Virginia Department of Health is advising that the North Anna Upper and Middle Branches in addition to the Upper Pamunkey Branch of Lake Anna in Orange, Louisa, and Spotsylvania counties is experiencing a harmful algae bloom (HAB). The public is advised to avoid contact with the lake in this area until algae concentrations return to acceptable levels. Some harmful algae, called cyanobacteria, can cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illnesses, such as upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The area to avoid can be seen on an interactive map at www.SwimHealthyVA.com. On July 13, samples collected in the North Anna Upper and Middle Branches and in the Upper Pamunkey Branch below Rt. 522, indicated swimming advisories were necessary due to unsafe levels of cyanobacteria densities. The sample collected at the Upper Pamunkey Branch at Simms Point/Harris Lane, indicated cyanobacteria densities were at acceptable levels. Two (2) samples with cyanobacteria densities and cyanotoxin concentrations collected at least 10 days apart are necessary to lift the advisory, therefore the advisory remains in place at this site. Cyanotoxins were detected at each of these sites, but were well below safe swimming levels. People and pets are advised to avoid swimming, windsurfing and stand - up - paddle - boarding as well as other activities that pose a risk of ingesting water. Follow - up monitoring above Rt. 208 on the lake are planned (weather permitting) for the first week of August. The sections of the lake currently under advisory: Pamunkey Branch (Rt. 522 site added, Branch remains under advisory) Upper – From the upper inundated waters of the Pamunkey arm of the lake downstream to just above the confluence with Terry ’ s Run (does not include Terry ’ s Run). North Anna Branch (advisories issued) Upper – From the upper inundated waters of the North Anna arm of the lake downstream to the Rt. 522 Bridge. Middle – From the Rt. 522 Bridge downstream to the Lumsden Flats/Rose Valley Cove. Algae blooms can occur when warm water and nutrients combine to make conditions favorable for algae growth. Most algae species are harmless, however, some species may produce irritating compounds or toxins. Avoid discolored water or scums that are green or blueish - green because they are more likely to contain toxins. To prevent illness, people should: Avoid contact with any area of the lake where water is green or an advisory sign is posted, WHEN IN DOUBT, STAY OUT! Do not allow children or pets to drink from natural bodies of water. Keep children and pets out of the areas experiencing a harmful algae bloom and quickly wash them off with plenty of fresh, clean water after coming into contact with algae scum or bloom water. If you or your animals experience symptoms after swimming in or near an algal bloom, seek medical/veterinarian care. To ensure fish fillets are safe to eat, properly clean fish by removing skin and discarding all internal organs, and cooking fish to the proper temperature. If you suspect you experienced health - related effects following exposure to a bloom, contact the Virginia Harmful Algal Bloom Hotline at 1 - 888 - 238 - 6154. To learn more about harmful algae blooms or to report an algae bloom or fish kill visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com. The Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force, which includes the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Old Dominion Phytoplankton lab, will continue to monitor water quality in the lake. In general, advisories will be lifted following two consecutive test results with acceptable levels for algal cell counts and/or toxin concentration. An advisory may be lifted or maintained at the discretion of the health department. For example, after one test an advisory may be lifted if results are within safe levels for swimming if other information indicates exposure or human health risk is low. A status report is updated to reflect the HAB advisory status of Lake Anna under routine monitoring online at “ Lake Anna Status Fact Sheet. ” For more information visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com.

Page 2 | August, 2021

Orange County Sanitary Landfill Begins Cells II Construction

By: Stephanie Straub, Assistant to the County Administrator and Public Information Officer

This summer, Orange County began work on the Cell II expansion project of the Orange County Sanitary Landfill. Cell II construction includes site grading, construction of a liner and leachate collection lines, gravel access roads, drainage features, and erosion and sediment control measures. Additionally, a disposal area with a concrete retaining wall will be adjacent to the new cell. Sargent Corporation won the bid for the project for $1,972,000 and has diligently executed task orders under the watchful eye of Draper Aden, the County ’ s contracted Landfill engineer, and Public Works Director, Aaron Caine. The expansion is slated to last approximately three months with an expected completion date of mid - August 2021.

Cell expansion projects are developed to allow for maximum use of space within strict environmental regulations. Based on Orange County ’ s volume of solid waste, cells are planned to be built at intervals to allow for thoughtful and continuous expansion of the landfill to avoid interruptions. Each cell is projected to last approximately 8 - 10 years but is entirely based off volume which can vary dramatically from year to year. Cells which are pyramid in shape, are built off of each other in a pattern to allow for access and the carefully monitored release of gas and leachate, until eventually one large mound will incorporate all cells into a large pyramid earthen structure. The Orange County Sanitary Landfill is projected to house eight (8) cells when completed.

Page 3 | August, 2021

The cell will start use by only accepting residential waste to in order to create a solid base layer before construction debris can be disposed of in order to prevent damage to the cell liner. Cell I will remain in operation until it reaches its maximum height and capacity limits as outlined under the County ’ s operating permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The Orange County Sanitary Landfill is operated by three (3) dedicated staff and a additional contracted operators. The Landfill is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Additional information about the services provided by the Landfill can be found at http://orangecountyva.gov/724/Landfill - Solid - Waste. Landfill Capital Projects can be found in the Orange County Capital Improvement Plan http://orangecountyva.gov/238/Capital - Improvements - Plan.

Page 4 | August, 2021

Gravel being dumped on cell liner

Orange County Celebrates National Book Lover ’ s Day

By Ellen Coyne, Communications Department Intern

Books can be powerful and no one knows that power better than Orange County Library Director, Katie Hill. Over the past 23 years, Ms. Hill has seen libraries evolve to meet the needs of the people using them, specifically for the residents of Orange County. “ In the past few years, there have been trends towards using libraries as place to work or do online courses. Our libraries offer access to over 1 million items digitally and we have just added two new streaming video services, Just For Kids and Kanopy . As our world becomes more connected by technology, places of human connection become more of a need. ” Residents of Orange County can access the Library ’ s digital materials through their website, ocplva.org. By clicking on the “ E - Branch ” header, residents can access the many links to >Page i Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31

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