The following is a recap of today’s State Water Control Board Meeting, courtesy of our neighborhood’s PYMIG liaison, Steve Crime:

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“The State Water Control Board (SWCB) met this morning at 10am at the DoubleTree by Hilton Richmond Airport to render a decision on the City’s draft environmental permit. The permit is required to build the new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station at the Alternative B location.

A representative from the VA Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) presented background information on the City’s draft environmental permit and discussed issues raised during the public comment period. The DEQ proposed several modifications to the draft environmental permit. Mark Jinks (City Manager for Alexandria) then gave a presentation on the need for the new Metrorail Station and said the City agreed to all of the VDEQ proposed modifications. The SWCB then opened the floor for public comment. A total of 12 individuals or organizations spoke during the public comment period. All spoke in favor of approving the draft environmental permit for building the new Metrorail Station at the Alternative B location. None spoke in opposition.

The seven members of the SWCB voted unanimously to approve the environmental permit. However, the construction will not begin until the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) also issues a permit. I spoke with City officials after the meeting about the next step. The City officials said the USACE required the SWCB to approve the permit before the USACE would approve the permit. The officials also told me the USACE has not asked for any additional information following their comment period. Therefore, they believe the USACE was waiting for the SWCB decision, and their approval would be forthcoming shortly.”