By John Wayne - July 2023

Cutalong continues to move forward with the promise of bringing a full-scale golf course community to Lake Anna.  The Golf Course is in full swing with 18 holes and an impressive member count.  Infrastructure is being built out to include a wastewater treatment facility and the community water system.  LACA is appreciative of the relationship building with the Cutalong Team and continues to work with them to understand their plan and the possible impact on the lake and surrounding community.

In a meeting with LACA representatives in late 2022, Cutalong representatives shared portions of their long-term development plans including Golf Stay and Play facilities, practice facilities, a marina, and boatel’s and of course the phased development of up to 900 homes.  High level information on several of the infrastructure build outs were discussed including the Wastewater Treatment facilities, dredging required for the shoreline development, and others.  Members of the development team indicated their desire to be good neighbors of the Lake Anna community and requested feedback from LACA on what was shared.

At that meeting, the Cutalong developers shared their plan to implement a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) for Phase two of development.  At full operation this will serve many hundred homes and other facilities. They are seeking a permit from DEQ that will create up to 250,000 gallons per day of treated effluent. Just days ago, DEQ provided us notification of this application as an “interested party”.  

The plan is to utilize this effluent for watering the golf course during the growing season, and then, during the winter season, to release the effluent into Blackwater creek, which will eventually make its way to Lake Anna.  There is a commitment from the developer to utilize a state-of-the-art Alternative Onsite Septic System which will lower the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus that are contained in the effluent below that required by current state law.  Further, the developer indicated that they will acquire the state required offset credits to account for their nutrient loading of the lake and will work within the Lake Anna Watershed to implement these credits.  Since that meeting, LACA considered the plans and developed additional ideas for mitigation of any nutrient loading of the lake.  We presented these thoughts in a discussion with the Cutalong Team early last month.

Regarding nutrient loading and credits, we asked that Cutalong develop and implement a project that directly impacts Lake Anna and further mitigates the specific nutrient loading from the effluent released into the watershed.  Suggested approaches are to:

• Develop a “wetland” project that is positioned to directly mitigate the nutrient loading contained in the planned release of the effluent from the Cutalong Phase Two WWTF.
• Develop floating wetlands that are placed in the lake in proximity to the inflow of any runoff from the Phase Two WWTF.
• Ensure that any other projects for credits from the Phase Two WWTF nutrient loading are implemented within the Lake Anna Watershed.

From our recent discussions, the Cutalong team has indicated that they share a common goal with us, to produce low-load effluent, reuse effluent for the golf course to protect the local aquifer and mitigate discharge with onsite nutrient credit generation.  They are working through mitigation strategies and have created a high-level survey of the property which identifies the potential for onsite remediation, through restoration.  They also indicated that based on LACA’s recommendations regarding on-site wetland creation and the creation of floating wetlands, they will seriously assess the potential for inclusion of these approaches in their overall strategy. We are pleased that the Cutalong Team is focused on this issue, and we continue to encourage them to actively pursue our recommendations or other mitigation strategies that will negate the impact of adding nitrogen and phosphorus into the Lake Anna watershed.

LACA has also considered other aspects of the development plans including dredging, marina buildout and the desire to contain noise and other impacts of the waterfront and shoreline development.  Through our internal discussion the following ideas were developed that are thought to be good for the community and the relationship between the Cutalong community and other Lake Anna constituencies.  

We asked the Team to consider several ideas surrounding shoreline and waterfront development that we believe can meet the needs of the Cutalong community and be least impactful to current Lake Communities.  These include developing marina, boatel and community docks and slips in a way that is least intrusive.  We suggested that no commercial activities be included in their waterfront plan including fuel distribution, public restaurant accessible from the water, concerts provided to the public, etc., thus limiting traffic coming to the facilities by water from other parts of the lake.  The Team has committed to ensure that current noise, lighting and other county ordinances and regulations are implemented and followed mitigating the impact on current and future lake area residents.

As dredging operations may expose the lake to nutrients, metals, and perhaps other chemicals that reside in the lake bottom, we asked that the Team commit to an open process that is executed based on what is best for the Lake.  This should include providing updated diagrams of the dredge site and plans for LACA and community review. We have also asked the Team for a commitment to test the lake bottom prior to the dredge so that proper precautions can be taken and notifications to the communities can be made to mitigate any ill effects from the dredge.  They have indicated their desire to work with us by sharing their current plan for dredging with the LACA Board and we will share that with our membership once the final approvals are in place with the Corps of Engineers and Dominion.  The plan appears to cover a fraction of the area previously included in their dredging plan, which is good for the lake. 

We have asked the Cutalong Team to consider the development of a “Promissory Agreement” with the community that among other things includes the implementation of communications avenues with the surrounding community providing updates at appropriate times on upcoming development activities. These could include Town Hall meetings, the development of a website detailing development plans and progress, schedules, alerts to critical operations such as dredging schedule, and others. 

We appreciate the relationship that is developing with the Cutalong Team and look forward to continuing to work with them as they work towards the development of their vision for the Cutalong community.

John.wayne@lakeannavirginia.org