Lake Barcroft

History

In 1913, the Alexandria Water Company began construction of the Lake Barcroft Dam on Holmes Run to create a drinking water reservoir for the city of Alexandria. Construction of the dam was completed in 1915, putting a 620 million-gallon reservoir into service. In 1942, the company installed 24 gates at the top of the dam to raise the spillway elevation five feet, increasing the reservoir size to 800 million gallons. In 1949, the City of Alexandria began to draw its drinking water from the Occoquan Reservoir. A year later, Colonel Joseph Barger and Associates purchased the reservoir, dam, and 680 adjacent acres of land for $1 million from the Alexandria Water Company. A year later, Barger and Associates began developing the into a residential community. During the early 1950s, residents formed a homeowners association called the Lake Barcroft Community Association (LABARCA). In 1970, community residents purchased the lake, dam, and common grounds for $300,000, and established the Barcroft Lake Management Association (BARLAMA). In 1972, Hurricane Agnes passed over the area. The hurricane caused so much rain that the lake level rose above the top of the dam by . This resulted in the lake overflowing and eroding the western, earthen shoulder of the dam. The rush of water deepened the washout, but the slow erosion protected downstream interests from the wall of water that would have resulted from a total dam collapse. To restore the dam and lake, residents voted to establish the Lake Barcroft Watershed Improvement District (LBWID) to set up a taxing authority to fund repairs. The LBWID is a quasi-governmental entity headed by three state-appointed trustees who are residents of Lake Barcroft. The lake was dry for two years during the early 1970s while the…

Geography

Lake Barcroft is located in eastern Fairfax County at (38.851412, −77.155654). It is bordered to the northeast by Seven Corners, to the east by Bailey's Crossroads, to the south by Lincolnia, to the southwest by Annandale, and to the northwest by West Falls Church. Downtown Washington, D.C. is to the northeast. The CDP border follows Sleepy Hollow Road to the west, Leesburg Pike to the north, various roads along its border with Bailey's Crossroads to the east, and Columbia Pike to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Lake Barcroft CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 8.34%, is water. The local high school is Justice High School. The boundaries of the Lake Barcroft CDP are somewhat more expansive than those of the LBA. The former includes several apartment buildings, condominiums, and businesses along the streets that form the border. The latter includes exclusively single family homes.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  184,720
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  153,085
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  146,640
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  131,676
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  127,583
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  127,115
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  116,321
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  114,056

Largest nearby schools

• LAKE BRADDOCK SECONDARY
  High · Burke · 4,377 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• ROBINSON SECONDARY
  High · Fairfax · 3,607 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• HAYFIELD SECONDARY
  High · Alexandria · 3,145 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• WEST POTOMAC HIGH
  High · Alexandria · 2,764 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• OAKTON HIGH
  High · Vienna · 2,701 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH
  High · Springfield · 2,663 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• WOODSON HIGH
  High · Fairfax · 2,478 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• MCLEAN HIGH
  High · McLean · 2,441 students · 17.6:1 ratio