To meet heightened energy demand coming from the increase of data centers in the county, Dominion Energy has started the process of building major transmission lines, substations, and infrastructure linkages. The first segment of this multi-year, multi-project expansion includes a new high-voltage transmission line along Broad Run between Northstar Blvd. and Loudoun County Parkway (and beyond).  View project area map.

500 kV transmission lines and towers similar to those proposed by Dominion.

This location is an HOA-created park/open space, known as Broad Run Stream Valley Park on eBird, that consists of meadows, mature forest, forested wetlands, wetlands creation project cells, a new Great Blue Heron rookery, and stormwater ponds that attract interesting shorebirds and waterfowl (including Common Goldeneye — one of the few locations they are spotted in Loudoun each winter). This proposal would further fragment habitat within the Broad Run riparian buffer and floodplain creating more challenges to wildlife and the ecosystem as a whole.

Virginia State Code mandates that Dominion Energy must provide service to new customers within their service area. We acknowledge that Dominion Energy has a variety of challenging constraints to provide power to areas in eastern Loudoun, and that this project is a component of collateral impacts caused by poor land use planning decisions that did not adequately account for utility corridors to accommodate growing community needs.

However, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has grave concerns about this proposal, and we do not support the proposed location of these infrastructure improvements. Our recommendations include:

• Locating the proposed transmission lines along other alternate routes alongside currently built infrastructure to avoid more impacts to green space along Broad Run.
• Avoid building infrastructure within the Broad Run floodplain, minimize traversing the floodplain as much as possible, and locating new transmission lines as far from Broad Run as possible.
• Avoid and minimize the clearing of mature trees within any mature and emerging forests.
• As part of any project, invasive species should be removed, native species should be planted, and a long-term management plan should be created to ensure any land disturbance areas have ecologically valuable habitat created for pollinators and other wildlife.

How to get involved?

• Dominion will be hosting an Open House to further discuss the project on September 8, 2022, from 5:00 pm to 8:00pm at John Champe High School, 41535 Sacred Mountain St, Aldie, VA 20105 (view invitation letter from Dominion).
• Comments regarding the project will be accepted via GeoVoice. Further information on the project, and access to comment, can be found here.
• Once Dominion Energy submits their application to the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) there will be multiple public comment periods, and we will provide updates as that schedule is known. Dominion Energy is expected to file the current application on October 25, 2022.

The post Dominion Energy Transmission Lines Along Broad Run appeared first on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.