Construction underway on Huntington Levee

Construction crews work on the Huntington Levee project on Monday, Feb. 20.

Work has begun on the Huntington Levee, which is designed to protect approximately 160 homes in the Huntington neighborhood from Cameron Run’s floodwaters. 

“Light construction” on the project started earlier this month, according to Fairfax County. Construction trailers and heavy equipment are now at the site, and Huntington Park has been fenced off and closed. 

Eventually a 2,800-foot-long earthen embankment and concrete I-wall levee will stretch from near Fenwick Drive to the Riverside Apartments. A pumping station facility will be located at the east end of the levee, and a large ponding area will run adjacent to the embankment, complete with recreational trails for community use. 

An artist’s conception of the finished levee. Click to enlarge.

Archer Western is the general contractor for the project, which is scheduled to be completed by spring 2019. Archer Western was awarded the contract after a bid of $27,799,100.

Repeated flooding, constant concern

Since 2002 there have been three major floods in Huntington, causing significant damage to houses and automobiles. Storms in 2006 devastated the neighborhood, leaving 160 homes uninhabitable for a time. Another major flood caused the neighborhood to be evacuated in 2011.

But even beyond the major floods, multiple large storms in recent years have caused tense moments for the Huntington community. In the spring of 2014 there was street flooding, but no evacuations, after heavy rains. In Oct. 2012, more than 100 residents were ordered out of their homes by the county as a precaution before heavy rains hit the area. Twice in 2008 residents were advised to relocate ahead of storms. 

Most of the homes in the floodplain are duplexes constructed between 1947-1950 — prior to current floodplain regulations, according to the county.

County officials caution that the Huntington Levee will not provide protection against all floods. Storms considered “100-year events” — meaning there’s a 1 percent chance they will happen in any given year — are beyond the scope of the levee design. 

Notes: Community meetings will be held bi-annually to give citizens updates on the levee project. The next meeting is scheduled for March 9 at Martha Washington Library …  a public groundbreaking for the levee project will be held March 23 at 10 a.m. at the end of Liberty Drive. More information on the project can be found on the county’s website.