Summary of Environmental and Health Concerns

Summary of Environmental and

Health Concerns 

1. Identify Community Concerns: Identify the environmental, health, and related social and economic concerns of the community.

1. Groundwater sources for the Raspberry Falls community are located in Karst terrain.  There are underground caverns, sinkholes and springs in the community which act as conduits for bacteria to enter the groundwater without the usual layers of ground filtration.
2. Numerous events of bacterial contamination have been documented in the raw water for each of the community’s two communal wells 
1. Loudoun Water, who operates and maintains the 2 communal wells in the Raspberry Falls community responded by raising the level of chlorination
2. Chlorination is the only form of water treatment for the Raspberry Falls communal well system
3. Loudoun Water has established a correlation between rain events and high levels of bacteria in the well which indicates that surface water is mixing with groundwater without normal filtration by the layers of soil.  
3. 25 Alternative Septic Systems are located at the front of the Raspberry Falls community about ¼ to a ½ mile from a Raspberry Falls communal well.
4. A golf course exists in the Raspberry Falls community
1. Extensive system of fertilizer and pesticide applications
2. Inadequate run-off protections at fertilizer and pesticide “staging area”
3. Fuel tank on site
4. Extensive leaf composting operation in the vicinity of one of the Raspberry Falls communal wells
5. The golf course’s maintenance facility is located in the vicinity of one of the Raspberry Falls communal wells
5. A buffalo farm called “Wright Farm” is located adjacent to the Raspberry Falls community and in the vicinity of one of the communal wells and runoff from this farm is a suspected cause of contamination for the water in that well.
6. Corrosive water is causing copper pipe pinhole leaks for a large number of residents in the community.  There have been approximately 60 occurrences.  
1. Loudoun Water hired an expert at Virginia Tech who issued a report saying that there will be 100 percent copper pipe failure in the Raspberry Falls community, meaning that every single home will experience a copper pipe failure due to an unknown quality of the water and the specific type of copper pipe fittings used through Raspberry Falls homes.
7. Health issues such as rashes and frequent urinary tract infections might be associated with the drinking water.  There have been several reports of severe infections requiring hospitalization after Raspberry Falls residents (including children) came into contact with stream water.  

2. Identify Community Assets: Develop a list of community assets in order to build on the

existing strengths of the community.

1. The community is zoned Rural with the majority of lots having been .75 acre to 1.5 acres.  There are ___ 10-acre conservancy lots throughout the community.
2. There is a proactive team of community residents that have been very actively pursuing the community’s water contamination issues and local Loudoun County government’s recent enactment of a “Limestone Overlay District.”
3. The builder/developer of the community is not yet at 90 percent buildout and so is still financially responsible for an appropriate water solution for the community.