Sirens may soon be heard in parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties.
Officials from Fairfax Water will be testing the Dam Siren System from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on November 14.
Fairfax Water is working with the Town of Occoquan, Prince William County and Fairfax County on the project, according to Fairfax Water’s Public Affairs Officer Susan Miller..
The system, located between the Town of Occoquan and Belmont Bay beside the Occoquan River, will be checked each year.
“The test is diagnostic and required to ensure functionality of the connections and control system which were recently upgraded,” Miller said in a story submitted to What’s Up Prince William.
Testing the siren will allow county residents and visitors to become familiar with the sound and learn what they should do in case of an emergency.
“We’re going to be communicating in every way we can to let people know what is happening and what to do ahead of time,” Miller said.
If the Occoquan Dam — also known as “the High Dam” — fails, community members should move to a higher area and river users must quickly evacuate.
Built in the 1950’s, the dam led to the establishment of the Occoquan Reservoir, which contains 8.3 billion gallons of water.
It’s inspected and updated regularly.
“Rigorous maintenance and improvements to the dam have made it even stronger today than when it was constructed,” Miller said. “It is extremely unlikely that the dam would become structurally compromised but we still want everyone to be prepared and safe.”
If the test needs to be canceled, it will occur on November 28.
More information is available on the Fairfax Water website.
For more information, visit www.occoquandamsiren.com.
