UPDATE (October 31, 2019): Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge has received $15,000 for a shoreline stabilization project.
Awarded by Dominion Energy, the grant will enable the park to plant greenery, according to a release from Virginia State Parks. It will be added in places that could be impacted by erosion.
“The money will go a long way in preserving the shoreline, and, in turn, Chesapeake Bay health,” Park Manager Karen Lambey said in a release. “Once completed, the project will allow us to continue planting trees, shrubs, and warm season grasses and wildflowers upland of the shoreline to further lessen the impact caused by stormwater runoff.”
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Representatives from Dominion Energy and the Virginia Association for Parks gathered at Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge today.
Dominion Energy brought along a $35,000 check – one of many donations the company has made to the organization over the years to work on a shoreline erosion project at the park.
“Over the last four years, our donations to Leesylvania shoreline effort has been about $100,000,” said Dominion Energy State & Local Affairs spokesperson Deborah Johnson.
According to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission’s website, the “the Leesylvania Living Shorelines project will provide shoreline stabilization and protection, while enhancing and restoring riparian, inter-tidal and near-shore habitat” along 800-feet of shoreline.
Johnson said that an employee first brought the project to her attention.
“We learned about the project through an employee with Prince William County who was just really concerned about what was happening with the shoreline, and explained to us the need to preserve that area and the urgency of that,” said Johnson.
According to Johnson, the donations Dominion has made toward the project are consistent with their commitment to Virginia state parks.
Possum Point Power Station Director Jeff Heffelman was also in attendance.
“We operate a power station on the shoreline, and we feel that it’s important to be involved in the preservation of the shoreline of Potomac River. We’re going to continue to support that,” said Heffelman.
