POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. — Homeowners in the Lake Shawnee neighborhood in Powhatan are sounding the alarm to county leaders after they say runoff from a nearby solar farm caused the water in the lake to become extremely murky and possibly dangerous for the wildlife there.
“It’s probably been about four weeks or more now, I noticed that the lakes weren’t clearing up. They’ve always cleared up, even after Gaston came through and dumped 14 inches of rain, it was only three or four days and they cleared right up," said Robert Swiger, who's lived on Lake Shawnee for more than 20 years. "I knew something was wrong."
Swiger and other residents wanted to find the source of the reddish-brown sediment coming into the lake.
"We found a feeder stream that was muddy, so then we followed that feeder stream back to a retention pond that was overflowing. It was full and had water coming out of its discharge pipe," Swiger said.
The retention pond that Swiger said was overflowing is on the North Ridge solar farm, a 100-plus acre farm that backs up to the lakes and the neighborhood around it.
Swiger then wrote a letter to Dominion Energy, which oversees the solar farm.
"How much longer do the fish have before they start floating to the top? There's been no sunlight in that water for a little over 4 weeks. It's been that bad that it can't penetrate," Swiger said.
Travis Keith, the Lake Shawnee HOA President, said the issue has also caused concern for homeowners hoping to put their house on the market.
"We have three homes coming up for sale and they're concerned about their homes being able to sell with the lakes looking like mud," Keith said. "It's terrible. You think that solar farms are to help the environment, but it's really hurting the environment. I mean look at how many animals were taken out and how many trees were taken out but look at all the junk and the mud that's come down from up there."
According to a Powhatan County Environmental Management inspection letter dated March 17 sent to DEPCOM POWER, which contracted with Dominion Energy to build the solar farm, there were some inefficiencies found, including issues ranging from "previous delayed action on known inefficiencies that have now resulted in noncompliance with Erosion and Sediment Control law to improper stabilization of denuded areas and the improper allowance of sediment discharge outside of the projects Limits of Disturbance (LOD)."
The inspection found that various sediment control devices, including silt fences, stockpiles, and sediment basis, were either "improperly installed, placed in unsuitable locations, or in urgent need of repair."
It also shared a list of corrective actions needed to prevent further issues.
DEQ did conducted a prior inspection in June 2024, and identified inefficiencies, but said the solar farm's operator followed up to provide documentation that corrective actions were made in a timely manner.
A Dominion Energy spokesperson told CBS 6 in an email that all solar farms Dominion develops has "numerous safeguards and measures to control runoff into nearby waterways."
"That said, we reported to the resident – and his homeowner’s association – last week that we’re taking immediate actions to address the concerns. First, we’re ensuring that the site’s stormwater and erosion and sediment controls are working properly. We’re also implementing additional stabilization measures during this spring growing season, and we will be working with our engineering experts to determine what, if any, additional stormwater and erosion and sediment control improvements could be considered," the spokesperson's email read.
"We are all concerned and troubled by the chain of events," said Board Chair Bill Donati in an email to CBS 6. "That is why we made sure to have the county staff, HOA, Dominion (property owner), and DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) collaborate to find solutions. The parties listed have done multiple walkthroughs of the area. County staff has issued corrective actions to be taken. We are waiting for the similar list from DEQ to Dominion. We are driven to find answers to not only prevent this from reoccurring but also to find solutions to fix the current state of the lakes."
“I know we have county ordinances in place, and things like this should’ve never happened, it should’ve never gotten to this point," Swiger said. "It's time for accountability. Folks need to step up and own up to their shortcomings."
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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