Complaint Prompts VDOT To Clear Litter Near Dranesville Road

HERNDON, VA — Armando Drake first wrote to Patch on Nov. 12, looking for a way to bring awareness to a significant littering problem he noticed at an intersection in the Herndon area.

"There is illegal dumping going on for quite sometime in the intersection of Dranesville Road and Sugarland Road," Drake said, in an email. "Tires, car battery, TVs, construction bathroom debris are being dumped in that area. There are no signs of a fine posted to deter the perpetrators and this will continue which will affect the stream and the wildlife."

In addition to writing Patch, Drake also filed a complaint with the Fairfax County Department of Code Compliance. The complaint found its way to the desk of Charlie Forbes, chief for Recycling, Compliance, and Planning for the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program.

Forbes told Patch his department did not have the manpower to address problems like this and didn't have the authority to go onto private property without the owner's permission.

"I’m happy for my agency to investigate the situation sufficiently to direct the complaint to the appropriate authority for action – I’ve already notified our Enforcement Unit of the situation, and I’m confident they’ll figure out who should be addressing this particular case, putting the necessary information into the best hands for resolving the situation," Forbes said, in a Dec. 9 email.

A week later, Forbes notified Patch that SWMP staff had visited the site. They confirmed Drake's observations and that the property was owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Forbes' office notified VDOT of the problem and requested they clean up the site.

"I have no sense of when VDOT will get out there," Forbes said, in a Dec. 16 email. "I imagine that weather will have a big impact in priority and schedule."

On Jan. 19, Drake sent along a new batch of photos, showing that VDOT had cleaned up most of the litter, although a TV was still there.

"Progress is always good," he said. "Hope they put up a sign someday as a reminder."

If you notice something that doesn't look right in your community, let Patch know and we'll try to help you get in touch with the person responsible for fixing it. Submit information to Patch editor Michael O'Connell at michael.oconnell@patch.com