protecting our lands
What happens when you bring together six bright , industrious Loudoun Valley High School students ; the President and founder of Sustainable Solutions , a natural resource management company ; and Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains ( FBRM )?
You get a real-world demonstration of how to solve a serious pollution problem as well as a model approach to community action .
Sleeter Lake is a 100-acre manmade oasis located in western Loudoun County between Purcellville and Round Hill . It was created by Army Colonel Frank Sleeter and his wife Elizabeth who moved to the Round Hill area in 1942 . The Sleeters were the founders and original owners of Hill High photo : Roger lancaster
Sleeter Lake ’ s Bioswale
A Demonstration in Community Action
By norman myers and Lawrence malone
Orchard . During its heyday Hill High , at over 850 acres , was one of the largest peach and apple orchards on the East Coast . Today the Stoneleigh Golf Club lies on a portion of the former orchard . The white building across Route 7 from the golf course that today houses Mom ’ s Apple Pie , The Round Hill Art Center , and More Better Restaurant was built as the apple packing house and cold storage for Colonel Sleeter ’ s orchards .
In 1963 , Colonel Sleeter dammed the North Fork of Goose Creek to irrigate the orchards . This eventually grew to a 100-acre lake that today bears his name .
John Sleeter , son of Frank and Elizabeth , sold the property in the early 1990s to Robert Lewis , a Loudoun County developer . Eleven acres of the property on the east side of the lake were proffered to the Town of Round Hill as a condition of the development of the Villages at Round Hill by Oak Hill Properties in 2000 . This 11-acre portion is Sleeter Lake Park .
According to the town ’ s website : “ The Town of Round Hill , in partnership with Loudoun County and Round Hill Homeowners Association , spent years developing the park . In addition to the Town and County , several local volunteer organizations have contributed to the development and beautification of the park , including Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy , the Round Hill Outdoors Committee , Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains , and members of local Girl & Boy Scout Troops . The Town , as owner and operator of the park , has opened the use of the park to all of Loudoun County and its visitors . The 11-acre park features picnic areas with tables and grills , canoe and kayak storage , a softlaunch boat ramp and an extensive shoreline for fishing .”
An 11-acre park on the shore of a 100-acre lake is a wonderful community amenity and just the type of thing that makes western Loudoun such a such an attractive place to live and work .
There is however a problem . The more attractive the park , the more people want to drive to and park . Parking lots and parked cars , particularly near a lake , create a pollution problem . Runoff from the hard surface introduces all sorts of unpleasant stuff into the lake . In addition , storm water runoff from fertilized , weed-free areas also introduces sediment and additional pollutants into the lake .
wander I FALL • winter 2022 21