Newsletter articles

By John Wayne - April 2024

There are many active development activities around the lake in both Spotsylvania and Louisa County, some you have heard about and some perhaps not. You can take a look at the Land Use section of LACA’s website https://lakeannavirginia.org for more details on these and other development activities around the Lake.  In this article I will provide status on some activities and highlight a few upcoming opportunities for you to weigh in on some near-term decisions by our governing authorities regarding development.

Hayden Property

The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors will hold a required Public Hearing on April 23, 2024, at 6:00 in the Holbert Building for the rezoning required for the proposed development of 40 homes on the Hayden property.  This property located close to the Pamunkey bridge (where 522 crosses the upper Pamunkey), is probably best known for the proposed RV Park proposal which ended in 2021 with the withdrawal of that rezoning request due to strong community opposition.  The current proposal is for 40 homes and community amenities on the two parcels that make up 132 acres, with about 40% of the property being set aside for open space.  You can find more details on this development in the Land Use Section of our website.  We encourage all members to attend the Public Hearing and make your opinions heard.

Another Dollar General?

After much speculation it appears that Dollar General has submitted a Site Plan to Spotsylvania planning placing a store on a 26-acre parcel of land at the Southeast corner of the intersection of 522 and Monrovia Rd.  The property, parcel 53-1-2, is zoned RC (Resort Commercial) and RA (Resort Agricultural), which essentially means that all that is required for the developer to move forward is to gain approval for the Site Plan.  If you have any thoughts on this matter, you may email Spotsylvania Planning at planning@spotsylvania.va.us.  We will continue to watch this as it goes through the county review process.

Green Boot Solar - Conditional Use Permit

In Louisa County, an application was submitted for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to develop a utility scale solar project of up to five megawatts (MW) on sixty acres of a 132-acre parcel along Peach Grove Road in the proximity of Gold Mine Creek due west of Lake Anna.  The property is located, as seen below, between Goldmine Road (Route 613) and Peach Grove Road (Route 621), identified as tax map parcel 14-71, in the Mineral Election District. Goldmine Creek bisects most of the property from NW to SE and runs into the lake approximately a mile downstream from the property.  The Project area is located on the north side of Goldmine Creek, within its watershed. 

Two neighborhood meetings were attended by over 50 people in October and November of 2023.  Questions, comments, and concerns from these citizens about the project touched on issues including added traffic, erosion, wildlife, property values, effect on Lake Anna, and others.  In the first go at the Planning Commission in March, a decision on the CUP was deferred until its April meeting, mostly due to the volume of information required to be reviewed on short notice.

County staff and elected officials have worked over the past years to tighten regulation of Solar development in the County.  These regulations, along with the diligent work of Community Development staff are intended to ensure solar implementations are designed and managed to mitigate as much as possible negative impacts to the land, storm water drainage areas, creeks, rivers, and streams.  Staff has recommended thirty-one (31) conditions that must be met for this project, mostly aimed at these issues.

LACA is concerned that, even with the new regulations and all conditions from staff, the adjacency of Goldmine Creek watershed, the creek and Lake Anna to this site demands more to ensure implementation of environmental priorities.  We are concerned that development disturbance, and even operation of twenty acres of cleared solar panel rows will likely bring a higher level of erosion and runoff, negatively affecting the Lake.  It is not clear in the application that the developer has taken these adjacencies into consideration in their plan utilizing most recent and best practices to limit erosion and stream impact.

We urge the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to weigh carefully the CUP requested while continuing to care for the land, water, and ecological needs.  LACA is hard at work with County and State officials to improve water quality in Lake Anna.  As a community we must ensure that we do not take any steps backward. 

You may want to let your Commissioner and Supervisor know your thoughts on this important project.

208 – 522 Roundabout

Looking at it on April 1^st, I will say that I am surprised by the progress I see on the Roundabout.  These types of projects always seem to go so slow in the beginning while all the underground storm water plumbing and other infrastructure is installed.  Much of this seems to be completed and on the western side of 522, curb stones are outlining a fair amount of that half of the circle, and it appears that a large section of the inner circle concrete will be poured soon.  VDOT has stated that their plan is to have some semblance of a flowing intersection open by Memorial Day, and further to curb any weekend work during the summer months to keep the intersection flowing.  Completion date is still forecast to be in December of THIS YEAR!  Keep your fingers Crossed!

John.wayne@lakeannavirginia.org

Mark Debord and Lara Weatherholtz – Apr 2024

Many of those who live at Lake Anna are familiar with Hydrilla, an invasive plant native to Asia. Hydrilla started in the US in Florida in the 1950’s. It was originally imported as an aquarium plant but was released into Florida waterways. It has now spread throughout much of the Southeast and many other areas of the US.

Another invasive plant, also from Asia, is the Two-horned Water Chestnut. It was first identified in Virginia in 1995. Thus far, it has been limited in Virginia to ponds in Northern Virginia, though a more recent infestation was found in farm ponds in Charlotte County.

Two-horned Water Chestnut is a floating aquatic plant. As with Hydrilla, it can form dense mats that interfere with boating and other aquatic sports. It grows in water depths of 1-15 feet. It can choke out native species and decrease water oxygen levels. And, like Hydrilla, it can be very difficult to eradicate once established.

Thus far, we have not identified any Two-horned Water Chestnut plants at Lake Anna. However, the seeds are spread by geese and other waterfowl, so it’s not unreasonable to believe it could find its way here. Surveys conducted last year in parts of the lake did not locate any infestations.

Below are some resources to help identify the plant. We ask that you keep an eye out for this while on the lake. It sprouts in April and May and soon spreads over the water’s surface. It flowers and fruits in July, before dying back in cold weather. If you see any, please contact LACA’s Environmental Preservation Committee Co-Chairs Mark DeBord (mark.debord@lakeannavirginia.org) or Lara Weatherholtz (lara.weatherholtz@lakeannavirginia.org).

Please don’t try to eradicate the plant yourself, especially with herbicides. This could inhibit our ability to track and more effectively eliminate it. And remember, removing any aquatic vegetation requires following Dominion’s policy.  Lake Anna Reservoir and WHTF Vegetation Management & Herbicide/Pesticide Treatment Policy (azureedge.net)

If you have any questions, please contact Mark or Lara.

Invasive Species Alerts – Blue Ridge PRISM Inc

water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa var. iinumai) - Species Profile (usgs.gov)

 

mark.debord@lakeannavirginia.org

lara.weatherholtz@lakeannavirginia.org

David Reichert – April 2024

Last year, LACA used the $9,950 grant from DuPont to host an education and planting day in Lake Anna with the Louisa County High School biology classes along with 3 other planting events using adult volunteers from the community and the DuPont site in Richmond. We focused on shoreline planting both in the shallows and beside the water. About 2500 native plants were planted last year.

LACA is a recipient of a second $9950 grant under the DuPont Clear Into the Future program, but this year, we are shifting our focus to installing native plants in the riparian buffer. The goal is still to consume nutrients before they work their way into the lake where they become the feed that fuel harmful algal blooms (HABs).

The riparian buffer is a wide expanse along the shoreline where trees and shrubs help prevent erosion, slow water runoff and consume nutrients headed towards the lake. We will again combine education and planting to maximize the impact of this funding. We are looking for property owners up lake with at least 200 feet of shoreline willing to have a buffer of native plants installed within 20 yards of the waterline. We will also be sending out LACA e-grams closer to the planting dates looking for volunteers to help with the planting.

2023 LCHS Biology Class Education and Planting Event at Lake Anna

Volunteers from the DuPont Spruance site ready to begin planting.

david.reichert@lakeannavirginia.org

By Matt Custer - March 2024

Lake Anna Business Partnership has an exciting opportunity to support our community and showcase your Lake Anna pride with a special interest license plate. The Lake Anna Business Partnership (LABP) is in the process of collecting prepaid applications for a brand new license plate design, pending final approval from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Why Act Now? To ensure that our proposed license plate makes it to the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session, we need your support! We must collect 450 completed and paid applications by December 31, 2024. Virginia law mandates that the General Assembly authorizes the issuance of any new special interest license plate, and the DMV develops and issues the plates once approved.

We still need about 300 more applications.

License Plate Details:

• Preliminary design pending final DMV approval.
• Only $10 for each non-personalized plate or $20 for each personalized plate.
• Yes, you can transfer your existing 6-digit number or personalized plate to the new design.
• Have your current registration card ready when completing the application.

How to Secure Your Plate: You have two options to preorder and pay for your plate: Please got to :

https://visitlakeanna.org/license/

There you will find all the information needed to secure a plate reservation.  You will also find answers to many frequently asked questions.

mattcuster@mattsellslakeanna.com

By Dave Reichert – March 2024

Coming from the east, route 208 is the main entryway to Lake Anna. Trash along the road detracts from the beauty of the area, so LACA is helping do something about it. On December 16, about two dozen LACA members and neighbors cleaned up a 2.1-mile section of route 208 from the Sturgeon Point Marina entrance to Lawyers Road.

Thirty-two bags of trash, a tire, car parts and rubber mats were collected in a two-hour event on that sunny Saturday morning. A thank you to all the participants and to Doctor Clark for allowing us to use the Smile Lake Anna parking lot as our base of operations for the cleanup event.

We look forward to having you join us for our spring Adopt A Highway event. A call for volunteers will be sent to your email on file with LACA about a month before the next cleanup.

david.reichert@lakeannavirginia.org

By Rick Hoyle, Maureen Daniels, and Jean McCormick - March 2024

This article focuses on the responses LACA received to the questions from the Emergency Services and Safety (ES&S) committee.  These questions elicited members’ opinions and concerns regarding safety on the lake and a LACA emergency response initiative. 

On the topic of safety, a strong majority (92% of question respondents) believe LACA should continue to support 100/200-foot setbacks for towed water sports.  These setbacks are the distance boats towing skiers, tubers, wake boarders (100 feet), and wake surfers (200 feet) should stay away from other boats, people, docks, and shorelines. 

In addition, 87% of question respondents felt that wake surfing should be restricted to sections of the lake that are at least 900 feet wide. Similarly, 83% of question respondents supported additional no wake surfing zones on Lake Anna.  Waves from powered water vessels had adverse effects on 73% of those responding to the question.  The following table breaks down these impacts.

Adverse Impact	Percent of Survey Respondents
I have experienced an increase in property erosion.	33%
I have experienced property damage to either my dock, seawall or rip rap.	20%
I have been swamped or overturned or knocked off my boat/jet ski	11%
I or a passenger on my boat has been knocked down trying to ski or wakeboard, or thrown off a tube	11%
I have experienced damage to my boat	3%
I have, or someone I know, has sustained an injury	4%
Other	13%

 

Of those reporting adverse impacts, the types of vessels creating the waves are reported in the following table.

Jet Ski or Personal Watercraft	21%
Boat pulling tube(s)	19%
Boat pulling a skier	13%
Boat pulling a wakeboarder	49%
Boat pulling a wake surfer	74%
Boat pulling other towed sport	8%
Boat not towing	28%

These results and new studies on the large and forceful waves and bottom sediment disturbance caused by wake surfing is leading LACA leadership to recommend wake surfing much further from shore and in deeper waters than LACA’s current recommendation.

The ES&S committee created the 911 Location Marker (Yellow Dock Sign) Initiative in 2012 to reduce response time to emergencies on Lake Anna.  Several questions from this committee were intended to find additional members willing to add 911 Location Markers to either their dock or to Home Owner Association/Property Owner Association (HOA/POA) docks. 

These questions found that 35% of the survey respondents had the markers on their own docks, 35 respondents purchased markers for their dock by clicking on a link like this one Order a 911 Sign in the survey, and 36 asked to be contacted about purchasing a marker.  LACA also found that 28% of our survey respondents lived in HOAs/POAs with 911 Location Markers on their community dock, and 21 respondents indicated they would like to be contacted for help in acquiring a marker for their community dock.  The ES&S committee leadership has contacted these members to assist them. 

The committee also asked if LACA should work with Dominion Energy and/or local governments to require a 911 emergency location marker on all new dock construction or additions/renovations of existing docks.  Three quarters of respondents to this question supported this initiative.  The committee also received 162 additional recommendations from respondents on other safety measures LACA should consider helping make Lake Anna the safest place possible for all its users. 

These comments have been compiled and categorized:  increasing law enforcement, ensuring safe boating orientation for rented boat and jetski operators, adding hazard, no-wake or no wake surfing buoys, limiting the size, power, types or quantity of boats on the lake, having local emergency medical facilities, and banning wake surfing are concerns expressed by members.

The ES&S committee leads have created an Action Plan with due dates in reaction to the responses received for the questions cited above.  These actions await the approval of the LACA Board even though several of these actions have already been implemented.

Further actions may be recommended by the Board and approved actions will be monitored for progress at LACA monthly meetings. You can expect to see responses soon if not already because of the survey responses.  Again, membership feedback is extremely valuable, and we are driven to implement your suggestions! Thanks again to those who completed our survey!

rick.hoyle@lakeannavirginia.org

mo.daniels@lakeannavirginia.org

jean.mccormick@lakeannavirginia.org

By Ken Quaglio - March 2024

Reliable, fast and affordable internet connectivity is increasingly as essential a service as electricity and water. While we choose to live or vacation at Lake Anna because of the peace, beauty and outdoor activities, we still want to stay connected. As a 20+ year resident, I’ve experienced pretty much all the options available to stay connected. We hear about broadband, speeds and various technologies. This article will define broadband, provide an overview of the technologies in the market, share the government investments being made and give an update on what’s happening in Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties.

Broadband Defined

Since 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defined broadband as 25 megabits per second (mbps) download speed (receive) and 3 mbps upload speed (send) (25/3). We also refer to this as highspeed internet. A 1 mbps speed would allow you to download a single small photo in about 1 second. In today’s world of streaming, video chat and work from home, a 25/3 connection is outdated. The FCC aims to redefine broadband as 100 mbps download and 20 mbps upload (100/20). There is also a discussion about setting a national goal of 1 Gigabyte download and 500 mbps upload. You may hear these terms referred to as bandwidth.

If you are a gamer or if you use 2-way video then your download speed, upload speed and latency are the things you care most about. Latency is important as it measures the time it takes for data to move from point A to B. Bandwidth is the amount of data and latency is how fast that data moves. Think of bandwidth as the diameter of the pipe and latency as how fast things move through the pipe. If you have a small pipe and lots of data with high latency, it may take a very long time for you to send and receive data. This is especially problematic with video streaming – think of that cursed buffering spinning wheel.

Some of us remember modems with 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600 bits per second.

Technologies

Now let’s look at the technologies delivering high speed internet to homes and business.

	Description	Speeds	Example Providers
Fixed Wireline
Fiber	Fiber uses sheathed glass tubes to transmit data at extremely high speeds. Fiber is nearly future proof and highly reliable due to the technology and network architecture. Usually no data caps or speed throttling	Up to 10 GB down and 10 GB up.	Firefly, FiberLync, Xfinity, Fios, GloFIber
Cable	Cable uses coaxial cables to transmit data. The architecture of these networks has improved speeds and the latest networks offer speeds that can match fiber. Most cable companies have pushed fiber deep into their networks however the connection to the home is still mostly coax cable. Cable networks are more complex than fiber and have more points of failure making them a bit less reliable. May have data caps	Up to 1 GB Down and 50 mbps up	Xfinity, Fios, Cox, Shentel
DSL	Uses existing copper telephone lines to provide a data service. Less likely you will find a company offering the service for new customers. Being phased out given the operating cost and network quality	20-100 mbps	Verizon, Shentel, Brightspeed
Wireless
5G	Fixed wireless access (FWA) is a wireless technology using spectrum. Beam steering may change the quality of the connection as may weather. Data caps typically apply.	100mbps to 1GB	T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Datastream
Satellite
Geosynchronous Satellite (GEO)	A couple of satellites located 22,000 miles above the equator. Typically have data caps as well as download/upload speed throttling during peak usage. Appear fixed traveling at a velocity aligned to the earth’s rotation	12mbps to 300mbps	Viasat, Hughesnet
Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEO)	Thousands of satellites located about 1200 miles above the equator. Travel 2x fast as GEO satellites and is non-geostationary. Most have data caps and speed throttling	5-220 mbps down/2-25 mbps up	Starlink (SpaceX), Kuiper (Amazon), OneWeb,

Funding

During Covid, it became increasingly clear that highspeed internet is truly an essential service. Broadband is increasingly important to meet the social, health and economic needs of society. Since these services are delivered by businesses rather than the government, decisions on where to build have been determined based primarily on economic returns.

Consequently, more urban areas where the cost to deploy per home is significantly less than rural areas have had access to highspeed internet for some time. Also, the cost for these services is often significant and may be unaffordable to many people. You may hear this situation referred to as the digital divide. Numerous studies have documented the real-world impact of the digital divide. For example, during Covid, children without access to reliable home internet had to find a wi-fi hotspot to connect to do their schoolwork. Often these spots were set up near churches and community centers.

The Federal government has funded a number of programs through multiple agencies to improve broadband access. These programs total about $100B in funding with the goal of making broadband access to the 42 million Americans that have no access. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in November 2021. IIJA includes $42.5B in funds for broadband under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The first 18 months of the program were focused on creating a reliable data set of where broadband is and isn’t deployed today.

BEAD’s focus is on unserved (no access or unreliable access to 25/3 service) communities first and then underserved (lacks access to reliable 100/20 mbps). While all technologies that meet the download/upload requirements are eligible for BEAD funds, there is a preference for fiber technology. Each state received $100M and then additional allocations were based on the number of unserved and underserved households in the state or territory.

Prior to BEAD, Virginia had already distributed $800M through a program called the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) which is a grant-based program requiring municipalities to submit a grant application. Under BEAD, Virginia will receive a total of $1.48B in BEAD money. This money will show up in construction over the next several years and represents a once in a lifetime investment in broadband infrastructure.

Make it Local

This is where it gets interesting. Broadband is not operated as a utility like electricity or water. It is a commercial enterprise where a provider signs a franchise agreement with a local municipality. The franchise agreement gives them the right to provide services in that location if they meet certain criteria established by the local government. Unlike the rural Rural Electrification Act or the principle of Universal Service for phone lines, there is no equivalent for broadband. The decision to provide service is an economic decision by the provider based on cost to serve. This has contributed to the digital divide. Rural and poorer areas were largely left out of cable and fiber due to the costs required to build those networks over distances as well as the ability to sell an affordable service. The IIJA and BEAD have significantly changed the economics by subsidizing the build for many unserved and underserved homes; BUT, it all depends on where you live.

Orange County

This county has established what’s known as a municipal broadband authority called FiberLync. FiberLync is an all fiber broadband operator relying buried conduit and fiber delivered to homes and businesses. Essentially, the county provides the capital to FiberLync which is then used to connect homes and business across the county. This approach works in areas where a business is unlikely to invest given the economic returns. FiberLync offers plans ranging from 100/50 mbps to 1Gb/500mbps, priced from $49.99 to $79.99. About 2 years ago, a dialog between Spotsylvania and Orange Counties resulted in an agreement to allow FiberLync to connect a significant number of Spotsylvania addresses adjacent to Orange County in the Livingston and Chancellor districts. The county has effectively used VATI as well as other federal grants to support the expansion of services.

Louisa County

Louisa County has developed a comprehensive broadband strategy for the county. The county has partnered with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC), Dominion Energy and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) (5 counties and Charlottesville). The RISE Project aims to provide internet access to 45,000 locations and 112,00 Virginians across 13 counties through Firefly Broadband which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative. The fiber network will include both buried and aerial (power poles) installation with a target to cover every residence and business in the county by the end of 2025. Louisa developed a comprehensive broadband plan, partnered with key stakeholders and is delivering plans ranging from 100/100 mbps for $49.99 to 1GB/1GB for $79.99 a month. CEC and REC participate by providing right of way access in the parts of the county they serve.

Spotsylvania County

Unfortunately, this is a more complex story. Spotsylvania partnered with a Fixed Wireless Provider called Data Stream to provide service to unserved and underserved parts of the county. The county also lacks a published comprehensive broadband plan. The county is part of the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) which is the Planning District Commission like the TJPDC. It includes Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George counties and the city of Fredericksburg. While a comprehensive broadband for GWRC may exist, I couldn’t find it. According to the VATI Dashboard the GWRC hasn’t received any VATI grants. Spotsylvania did apply for a VATI grant in both 2022 and 2023 which were not approved by the state. The county does have an agreement with Comcast (Xfinity) in many parts of the county as well as Verizon DSL and of course satellite. The Data Stream service if available, offers wireless plans ranging from 15/1.5 mbps for $49.99 a month to 75/5 mbps for $179 a month. Portions of the county remain underserved. The county faces numerous challenges with protected areas relating to the Civil War.

Summary

Broadband is increasingly an essential service that provides economic, entertainment, educational and health resources. The build out of highspeed, reliable broadband has received a once in a lifetime public investment to extend service to unserved and underserved areas. The average internet user consumes around 600GB of data a month and that is growing quickly to 1 Terabyte of data (1,000 GB). Mobile data usage is also growing rapidly but the vast majority of data usage is still done at home or work; access to fast, reliable, low latency, affordable. Soon, nearly everything will have a chip and a radio in it and be connected. Artificial Intelligence will become ubiquitous. All the ‘apps’ on your phone may disappear as you use natural language (just say what you want) to interact with data. Streaming, augmented reality, virtual reality all will require increasing bandwidth and speed. Or maybe you just want to check your email, go to Facebook and order from Amazon or Walmart. Either way, the infrastructure required to deliver these experiences is essential.

ken.quaglio@lakeannavirginia.org

By Rick Hoyle and Rick Nehrboss – January 2024

In June, 2023, the Lake Anna Civic Association (LACA) sent out 1120 invitations to LACA membership to complete the 2023 LACA Survey.  Thanks to the 573 members who replied to our recent membership survey!  Twenty-three of the invitations never reached the intended member because of invalid or expired email addresses in our membership database.

This year we were up from the 504 responses received in the 2021 survey.  The results were summarized and presented at the LACA Annual Meeting.  Unfortunately, many of our members missed the meeting so we wanted to provide a summary of the results.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of the survey respondents have property or have visited the lake for more than 5 years, so are very familiar with Lake Anna.  This suggests that LACA membership opinions on important concerns for the lake and the direction that LACA should be taking are well informed and are invested in the LACA mission to preserve and protect the cleanliness, beauty, and safe use of Lake Anna and its watershed.

LACA leadership apologizes for the length of the survey.  Clearly it was too long for some members as the number of questions skipped by members grew as the survey progressed.  The first 9 questions were only skipped by an average of 22 respondents.  After that each question was skipped by at least 100 respondents with the average being around 150.  LACA leadership is looking at options to have more frequent yet more focused, shorter surveys to increase participation of our membership.

The Board of Directors and the committee leaders are creating an Action Plan based upon the survey results.  Each question has been assigned to a Committee Lead or a board member to review, analyze and summarize the results and recommend specific actions with a suggested implementation date.

The Board will review all the actions for approval and implementation and monitor progress at our monthly meetings.  You can expect to hear from committee leads soon if not already in reaction to survey responses.  Again, membership feedback is extremely valuable and we are determined to consider your suggestions! Thanks again to those who completed our survey!

The survey was organized mostly around LACA committees which lead the major LACA initiatives.  In this issue, we focus on the responses to the questions related to Water Quality, which were the first 9 questions in the survey and clearly captured the most responses.  In future newsletters, we will discuss the responses to questions in other areas.

When it comes to Water Quality, many of our respondents (66%) reported that algae/cyanobacteria/HABs have been an issue for the area they most frequently visit at Lake Anna. Fifty-two of our respondents are aware of people or pets that they suspect were made ill as a result of being in or around the water when a recreational advisory was in effect.  Three quarters of respondents want to support the all-volunteer Water Quality committee and its activities.  The Water Quality committee leadership has already reached out to these respondents.  As only 4 respondents did not support the use of county tax dollars to support LACA’s Water Quality Monitoring Program, LACA will still lobby the counties surrounding the lake to continue or increase the current funding levels provided so far. 

The Lake Anna Advisory Committee's efforts to control hydrilla is also strongly supported by the respondents (97%) with 92% supporting the use of Sterile carp, and 81% supporting the use of herbicides.   The survey also indicated that most of the respondents (92%) supported LACA’s hiring a Richmond law firm specializing in Virginia legislative affairs for $50,000 to persuade the legislature to provide $1 Million for remediation and mitigation of HAB specifically on Lake Anna.  At the time the survey was released, the results of LACA’s efforts were not known.  In October, 2023, this $1 Million was approved and LACA has been working with the local county governments on how to best manage and apply the funding assigned to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Stay tuned to future newsletters where we will share the responses to questions regarding the Environmental Preservation, Emergency Services and other LACA committees.

rick.hoyle@lakeannavirginia.org

rick.nehrboss@lakeannavirginia.org

By John Wayne – January 2024

2024 Brings Operational Requirements for Louisa County.  What does this mean for those who rent their houses and those who live around them?

I requested information from Louisa County that I could use to create a practical guide for operating and managing issues under the STR ordinance passed in 2023. The ordinance passed with an effective date of January 1, 2024, and I expect there are those who rent their homes that may not have gotten word and/or have not yet taken steps to comply with the ordinance.  I also wanted to understand, given the restrictions contained in the new ordinance, how citizens who experience violations of the ordinance are to handle those with the County. I want to thank Cindy King, Community Engagement Manager for Louisa County, who was very helpful in responding to my questions and in fact provided me with what I believe to be a succinct guide to how renters and neighbors can manage under the new ordinance.  What follows is her response:

Short-term rentals (STRs) offer the area numerous tourism-related benefits, but as the number of these rentals have grown around Lake Anna, so has concern from neighboring property owners. Following a great deal of citizen input, the formation of a county-led stakeholder workgroup, and public hearings, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance this past October intended to minimally impact responsible STR owners while increasing visitor safety and guarding community interests.

While not all STRs in Louisa County are affected by this new ordinance, the majority of waterfront rentals and rentals in waterfront communities will be required to follow new regulations. This set of regulations, effective January 1, 2024, are as follows:

• Owner Contact Information: Must provide contact details of the owner/property manager to Louisa County and any subdivision governing body if present.

How to satisfy this requirement: Existing STR owners most likely have already completed registration through the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office. For new owners or STR operators needing to register, they may complete the “Transient Occupancy Tax Contact Information Form” by January 1, 2024. STR owners will also need to provide contact information to any applicable HOAs/POAs. This registration allows for contact information to easily be retrieved, including in the event of an emergency.

• Local Code Information: Required to provide the current Louisa County Code chapters related to Noise (51) and Solid Waste (62) and definitions for Special Occasion Facilities and Gatherings in rental contracts.

How to satisfy this requirement: STR owners may link to this information on the county website from their rental agreements or include copies in their rental agreements executed on and after January 1, 2024. This requirement ensures the tenants have been given notice of how to handle noise and solid waste during their stay.

• Prohibition of Certain Uses: Owners must inform tenants that events, rentals, Special Occasion Facilities, and related uses are banned unless a valid CUP is obtained.

How to satisfy this requirement: This notification may be included in the rental agreement or in a confirmation message regarding the rental. These notifications apply to rentals on or after January 1, 2024. This requirement will help prevent unauthorized special occasion facilities.

• Health and Safety Compliance: Adherence to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) regulations and all applicable state building code and safety regulations is mandatory.

How to satisfy this requirement: To maintain safety for tenants and the community, short-term rental (STR) owners must check their permits with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and follow all stated requirements. All VDH permit regulations need to be met by January 1, 2024. Additionally, all buildings must meet the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) standards. The Community Development issues a Certificate of Occupancy for each property, and all properties must comply with these certificates by January 1, 2024.

• Conditional Use Permit Necessity: Owners failing to meet these requirements must obtain a CUP from the Louisa County Board of Supervisors to operate an STR.

How to satisfy this requirement: STR owners that cannot meet the above requirements by January 1, 2024 should contact the Community Development department about a Conditional Use Permit (CUP).

STR operators can find additional information on the county’s website, louisacounty.gov.

For residents concerned about neighboring STR properties that may not comply with these new requirements, the ordinance and standard county processes do provide reporting options. Any neighbor who feels one or more of these restrictions are not being addressed (building code violations, safe occupancy per VDH, event rentals, etc.), may report a potential code violation through the “Report an Issue” feature on louisacounty.gov or contact the Community Development department. The Report an Issue, Report a Potential Code Violation form will allow the submitting party to receive updates. This section of the website also offers a link to submit an issue anonymously, however as submissions through that option are anonymous, updates cannot be provided. The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office may be called for noise complaints.  

LACA has put this information up on our Website under Programs/Land Use/STR so that the links provided by the County will be active, allowing you to go directly to the forms and additional information highlighted and referenced in the text.  Please visit our website at https://lakeannavirginia.org to access this information.

john.wayne@lakeannavirginia.org

By Gary Cochard – January 2024

For many years, I’ve enjoyed watching this magnificent bird nearly every day throughout the summer.  We’ve all seen them walking the shoreline of Lake Anna or flying from one boathouse to another.  But what do we know about the bird itself?

Well, here are a few facts I collected from the internet to help us better understand and appreciate this majestic creature.

First, the great blue heron is found throughout North America. It thrives in Canada, the United States and Mexico, allowing millions to enjoy watching this graceful bird.

The blue heron is basically a solitary hunter.  They prefer to hunt alone but when mating/breeding they nest in colonies (called a heronry) that can include several hundred stick nests.  They usually build their nest in trees high above the ground, but can occasionally be found nesting on the ground, on duck blinds or even on channel markers.  The male normally picks the nesting sight, with the female doing most of the construction work as the male brings a variety of building materials to the nest. 

The female will lay 3 to 6 eggs (a clutch) with both parents then sharing in the incubation and other parental duties.  The young birds hatch in about a month and then fledge 49-80 days later.  According to my research, only 1 or 2 from the clutch will survive those early days due to either predation, starvation, heavy rain or cold weather.  These factors combined often take a heavy toll on the newly hatched chicks.  The blue heron does NOT mate for life and the life span is about 15 years.

The diet of the great blue heron consists of many things.  They will eat anything they can catch, though fish is the mainstay.  However, frogs, insects and small rodents are also ingested if they happen to come within striking range. They are lethal hunters with a very quick strike using their powerful neck and strong beak to attack their prey. They eat about a pound of fish each day supplemented by those previously mentioned menu items.  Even an occasional snake may fall victim to the deadly beak.  Though uncommon, they have been recorded ingesting fish as large as 8 - 12 inches in length.  They swallow all fish head-first, whole and alive.  Gulp!!

All great hunters must also be aware of those who prey upon them.  Eagles occasionally attack the adult blue heron, with crows, ravens, gulls and other birds of prey going after the eggs and the young chicks.  Other than the eagle, adults have few predators, mostly because of their size and the lack of large predators in North America.

Lastly, we might wonder why we don’t see many during the winter months.  Well, the answer is simple.  Most migrate, but not all.  Generally, in the winter the blue heron will move away from the northern edge of their breeding range.  Some fly as far south as the Caribbean.  But some choose to stay put and can survive despite the cold weather.  If there’s open water, they continue mainly with the fish diet.  But if things get tough, they forge on anything they can find that is alive.  Blue herons only eat “live” food.  We’ll likely not see too many stalking the shoreline during our winter, but rest assured come spring; this majestic bird will return in great numbers to again take up their place along the banks of Lake Anna.

There is much more one can learn about this beautiful bird.  I hope this article has whet your appetite to do just that.  Regardless, be on the lookout for the return migration of one of Lake Anna’s beautiful treasures.

gary.cochard@lakeannavirginia.org