Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
People and Wildlife Living in Harmony

Powerlines along Loudoun's W&OD Trail

February 2006

 
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“If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows.”

- Rev. Henry Ward Beecher (mid-1800s)



 

Issue

Dominion Virginia Power submitted an application to the SCC to build additional power lines through Loudoun.

Action

The following statement was provided to the SCC regarding Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy's position on the use of the W&OD Trail as a location for the proposed power lines.

View the routes being proposed by the power company :
Dominion Virginia Power

Because other alternatives have also been proposed, our statement also provides our position on those alternatives and recommends a path forward:

osprey
Osprey on migration

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation and proliferation of healthy wildlife habitats throughout Loudoun. We believe that the W&OD trail provides not only critical wildlife habitat but also an important place for people to enjoy nature.  Placing the power lines along this route is not acceptable.  The alternative of placing the power lines through the rural properties also is not an acceptable option because of the wetland, grassland and forested habitats that will be destroyed there as well. 

The alternative that we support is one where the power lines are buried along Route 7.  This alternative results in the least environmental impact and is the best alternative for the residents of Loudoun.  If the power lines cannot be buried along Route 7 at this time, then we recommend that development within the county be slowed until our infrastructure and the supporting technologies required to bury the power lines responsibly catches up

Outcome

The SCC continued to study the options