Riverquest II: Dogue Creek
A Quest 2.5 Years in the Making…
Quest date: June 30, 2018
Rivers: Earth's natural storm drains. Runoff and spring water force their way to the sea, carving a spindling system of blue-brown branches into the dirt and rock. The minerals transported downstream give way to lush ecosystems-- as water gives life, it also makes way for life to thrive. In our increasingly urbanized world, how are we affecting these invaluable resources?
Hello again, and welcome to the second edition of Riverquest. Today, we will be headed southwest from our New Jersey headquarters to explore a modest tributary of the mighty Potomac River in Virginia.
Dogue Creek, named so after the Doeg tribe of Native Americans who once inhabited Virginia, is an 8.5 mile stream in Fairfax County that begins in Kingstowne CDP and runs south towards Mount Vernon and the Potomac River. There are a number of notable features along Dogue Creek, including the planned community Kingstowne and George Washington’s famous grist mill.
Below is a screenshot of the CDPs of Fairfax County, with the river highlighted in blue. The full interactive map can be found at Fairfax County, Virginia website. If you are interested in learning more about the county, the website is an incredible resource and was invaluable in my research of the river and surrounding area.
Part 1: Humble Beginnings - Kingstowne
Kingstowne Lake.
River leading to the source.
Dogue Creek begins in the fashion of many a suburban river, with a giant storm drain. Kingstowne, the planned community in which the river begins, has been growing steadily since the 80s. With this urbanization has come an elaborate stormwater drainage system. Pictured below is an outfall at the beginning of the river that carries stormwater, along with its corresponding drainage system. There is another outfall to the southwest that would technically constitute the true source of the river, but for the sake of accessibility, the pictured outfall serves this purpose.
A suburban sanctuary, untouched by non-porous asphalt.
Part of a storm water system map of Kingstowne. The system surrounded in green shows the section that brings storm water to the head of Dogue Creek. The outfall pictured above is marked with the red arrow. You can view the full resolution map here.
Despite the rapid urbanization of Kingstowne, the shape of the river around the source has stayed relatively intact. The below map from the US Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service (1977) shows a pre-development Kingstowne with the same-shaped Dogue Creek as current maps show. A major difference, though, is the lack of a Kingstowne Lake.
The creation of Kingstowne Lake coincides with the development of Kingstowne in the 80s. The bend at the beginning of Dogue Creek at one point was terraformed to create a wet pond, a body of water that stores stormwater constantly, filters pollutants in the river, and controls the flow of the river to prevent flooding and erosion. Building new developments in Fairfax County has required such a pond since the time Kingstowne was first developed, You can read more about this here on the Fairfax County website.
Map of Fairfax County, snipped to show Dogue Creek area. Full map at Library of Congress website.
Another modification to the river that is a bit harder to see on a map is the outflow of Kingstowne Lake. At some point during development, the stretch of Dogue Creek circled in red above was replaced with a pipe line, with the surrounding lines connecting to it subterraneously. This may have been implemented to allocate more land to development, to further control the outflow of stormwater from Kingstowne Lake, or both. The outlet for the subterranean section of the river is highlighted in yellow, where it continues to flow southward.
Part 2: The Floodplain - A Controversial Development
In early 2018, a proposal was made to build housing units at 8800 Richmond Highway, directly on a 100-year floodplain of Dogue Creek. Part of a greater revitalization movement in Mt. Vernon, this potential development has met fierce opposition from both residents and conservation groups alike, citing potential damage from valuable floodplain land being taken away.
Map by the Washington Post, link to source in Further Reading.
Proponents of the development believe it will provide economic benefits and give a better look and feel to the developing Fairfax County area. Opponents believe that displacing the floodplain will cause flooding damage in other areas along the creek, and since this development ignores established environmental protection policies, the approval of this development would set a bad precedent for future floodplain developments.
The initial amendment, which detailed the plan to develop 2 of the 8-acre property into 43 townhomes along Dogue Creek, was rejected by the Fairfax County planning staff on the concerns brought up by the opposition: conflict with the Comprehensive Plan (environmental policy), precedent regarding future floodplain developments, and the stability of Dogue Creek itself.
The developer had planned to apply for an exemption to the environmental policy that would allow development to proceed, but after an outpouring of support against the development, that application was withdrawn on the day before the hearing (October 24, 2018). As of this article’s posting, there have been no further updates on this development.
Further reading:
https://conservationblog.anshome.org/blog/what-comes-next-for-dogue-creek/
https://anshome.org/dogue-creek/
Part 3: George Washington’s Grist Mill
The bend of Dogue Creek upon which the grist mill is situated.
Less than half a mile downstream from the contested floodplain development and just two miles west of the Mt. Vernon estate lies George Washington’s famous grist mill. Built in 1771, this mill produced massive quantities of high-quality flour and cornmeal that would be exported to Europe.
Through its tenure, the mill was operated by both hired and enslaved millers. To ensure efficiency and that the millers were taken care of, homes were provided next to the mill by George Washington.
The grist mill with millrace going toward Dogue Creek.
Despite being situated on Dogue Creek, the water wheel that powered the mill was fed by a man-made canal known as a millrace. The millrace stretched nearly two miles to the northeast, connecting the mill with a dammed pond at the edge of Washington’s Dogue Run Farm. After running through the mill, the water would then discharge into Dogue Creek.
Millrace flowing into the mill.
The grist mill as we see it today is actually not the original structure. After Washington’s death, the mill gradually fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished in the 1850s. It wasn’t until 1932 when the mill was meticulously reconstructed to commemorate the bicentennial of Washington’s birth.
Further reading:
https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/gristmill/ten-facts-about-the-gristmill/
Part 4: The Mouth - Joining the Potomac
Where Dogue Creek meets the Potomac River, from Yacht Haven. Background land is Fort Belvoir.
The mouth of Dogue Creek where it joins the Potomac is very wide, as is the love for my friends who have accompanied me on this journey.
Shortly after the debut of Riverquest, my twitter friend Rin expressed interest in contributing to Riverquest, offering “an air mattress and a dream.” After completing a music commission for her RPG group, we solidified a date for a day trip to the DMV area where we could explore a small river and get some food afterwards. I brought my friend Justin, who was also friends with Rin, and our friend Brent.
Brent looking into the outfall.
Group photo at the mouth of Dogue Creek. L to R: Brent, me, Justin, Rin. Photo edited by Rin (the shadows were not ideal this day.)
You know we had to do it to em.
We had a great time exploring, learning some new things about the area, and sweating our butts off as it got up to 91 degrees F that day. (Note the pink on our faces despite the shadows.) We then ended the day at Sam Phao Thai Cuisine on King Street in Alexandria and went our separate ways on the Blue line and I-95.
The reason why I’m finishing this on December 28, 2020 and not closer to June 30, 2018 is that life came at me FAST. So much has happened, but the most significant thing (rather, person) that happened was the reason for this very Riverquest: Rin! This Riverquest marked the end of Dogue Creek and the beginning of an incredible relationship. We started dating a few months after meeting up and still are! We were brought together by a love of rivers and adventure, and at the confluence sprang a new love, for each other, that flows to this day.
I don’t normally dedicate Riverquests, but Riverquest II: Dogue Creek is of course dedicated to Rin, friend, girlfriend, adventurer, River Queen. I love you!
Special thanks to Justin, Brent, and Rin for indulging me on the idea that is Riverquest. I love you all and love doing all sorts of awesome things with you all.
Thank you for tuning in to this edition of Riverquest. I hope you enjoyed reading about this li’l creek! You never know what neat bits of local history you’ll find on your nearby waterways! Tune in next time for the ultimate Riverquest: Riverquest III: Passaic River. Coming at a time where it’d be best not to anticipate it for a while.