Pls tell me about Mantua

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the community feel is very centered around the pool and the elementary school. If you've driven around recently and not seen many kids, remember that we are coming out of a cold, long winter, (plus spring break!) so maybe try again in a few weeks. Mantua elementary is a great school but very large. I think a nice neighborhood nearby that feeds into Wakefield Forest (also a great school) is Truro, but not everyone likes the contemporary home styles.

OP here- thank you! The houses I was visiting are in the North east side of the sub-division.. maybe that's why I didn't get that sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

So you have a house for sale in the neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

I have never heard of this development but I'm confused--was it just a small area with some kind of gas leak or did the oil company really buy 100 contaminated houses? (How big is the neighborhood?) Are the houses cheaper because of the issues, is that why people buy there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

Wait, pp is "snobby" because she doesn't want her family to live on a toxic waste dump, but the neighborhood is great because lots of doctors live there?

Everyone is entitled to theIr own beliefs but I find it interesting that two other neighborhoods are closer to the leak but never get mentioned. Barrister’s Keepe and Pickett’s Reserve. Mantua is a huge area, with a very small area that was affected and then treated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

So you have a house for sale in the neighborhood?

Nope

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

Wait, pp is "snobby" because she doesn't want her family to live on a toxic waste dump, but the neighborhood is great because lots of doctors live there?

Everyone is entitled to theIr own beliefs but I find it interesting that two other neighborhoods are closer to the leak but never get mentioned. Barrister’s Keepe and Pickett’s Reserve. Mantua is a huge area, with a very small area that was affected and then treated.

That article posted says the oil company bought 100 houses. That sounds like a large area.

[Anonymous]

How do you know if a contaminated area like this has been remediated? Is there an independent agency that checks the soil and water?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never heard of this development but I'm confused--was it just a small area with some kind of gas leak or did the oil company really buy 100 contaminated houses? (How big is the neighborhood?) Are the houses cheaper because of the issues, is that why people buy there?

According to the City Paper article, at least 4 million gallons of fuel leaked into the soil.

I had under 100 gallons of heating oil leak out of a tank once and you could smell it 10 years later. But i'm sure it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

Wait, pp is "snobby" because she doesn't want her family to live on a toxic waste dump, but the neighborhood is great because lots of doctors live there?

Everyone is entitled to theIr own beliefs but I find it interesting that two other neighborhoods are closer to the leak but never get mentioned. Barrister’s Keepe and Pickett’s Reserve. Mantua is a huge area, with a very small area that was affected and then treated.

Topography determined where the oil went. The oil field did not extend to Barristers Keep or Picketts Reserve. See this presentation for a map of the groundwater plume. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/motivaenterprises_shutdownsystemplan.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know if a contaminated area like this has been remediated? Is there an independent agency that checks the soil and water?

The EPA monitored it for over 25 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

Wait, pp is "snobby" because she doesn't want her family to live on a toxic waste dump, but the neighborhood is great because lots of doctors live there?

Everyone is entitled to theIr own beliefs but I find it interesting that two other neighborhoods are closer to the leak but never get mentioned. Barrister’s Keepe and Pickett’s Reserve. Mantua is a huge area, with a very small area that was affected and then treated.

Topography determined where the oil went. The oil field did not extend to Barristers Keep or Picketts Reserve. See this presentation for a map of the groundwater plume. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/motivaenterprises_shutdownsystemplan.pdf

It also shows it didn’t affect the majority of Mantua which is over 1700 homes.

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone- OP here. We are fully aware of the oil spill incident 20 years ago. We have read the City Paper dated 1996 as well as EPA's clean up effort (https://www.epa.gov/hwcorrectiveaction/hazardous-waste-cleanup-motiva-enterprises-formerly-star-enterprise-fairfax-city). Like other people mentioned, the oil spill has become the stigma of Mantua. However, shouldn't other divisions on the other side of Pickett Road that is a lot closer to the contamination site than the rest of Mantua be worried too? Please let us make the call of whether it's a safe area to move our family there. If you have lived in the area, would greatly appreciate your feedback on the community itself.

My drive through observations are that there are lots of older homes even though there are new build activities (Barbara and Chichester). Homes seem to be disconnected due to the lack of sidewalks. Good to hear that there are lots of kids (close to the pool and ES).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow not surprised you all are so snobby. There are lots of doctors that live in the neighborhood that don’t seem to be concerned. It’s a great neighborhood in a very convenient area that keeps getting better with redevelopment. The oil issue was contained to a small part of the neighborhood and happened over 20 years ago. There are other new neighborhoods closer to the oil issue that never get mentioned. They were built after it happened.

Wait, pp is "snobby" because she doesn't want her family to live on a toxic waste dump, but the neighborhood is great because lots of doctors live there?

Everyone is entitled to theIr own beliefs but I find it interesting that two other neighborhoods are closer to the leak but never get mentioned. Barrister’s Keepe and Pickett’s Reserve. Mantua is a huge area, with a very small area that was affected and then treated.

That article posted says the oil company bought 100 houses. That sounds like a large area.

Fairfax County property records show the has oil company owned about 40-45 homes over the years. They currently own 27 homes. This is very easy to verify. Simply go to the Fairfax County property tax records (http://icare.fairfaxcounty.gov/ffxcare/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=address), and search for either Tovito Drive or Convento Terrace. As you can see on the map previously posted, those are the only two streets that were affected. It is a very small portion of the neighborhood. Agree with the PP that Barrister's Keepe and Pickett's Reserve are much closer to the oil spill, and never get mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- OP here. We are fully aware of the oil spill incident 20 years ago. We have read the City Paper dated 1996 as well as EPA's clean up effort (https://www.epa.gov/hwcorrectiveaction/hazardous-waste-cleanup-motiva-enterprises-formerly-star-enterprise-fairfax-city). Like other people mentioned, the oil spill has become the stigma of Mantua. However, shouldn't other divisions on the other side of Pickett Road that is a lot closer to the contamination site than the rest of Mantua be worried too? Please let us make the call of whether it's a safe area to move our family there. If you have lived in the area, would greatly appreciate your feedback on the community itself.

My drive through observations are that there are lots of older homes even though there are new build activities (Barbara and Chichester). Homes seem to be disconnected due to the lack of sidewalks. Good to hear that there are lots of kids (close to the pool and ES).

There are kids in that area as well. There are some families that have three or more generations living in the neighborhood (separate houses) because the kids move back to where they grew up so their kids can have the same community experience. OP I wouldn’t worry about any lack of kids- the neighborhood is very close despite the lack of sidewalks in some areas. There is a Facebook group for the neighborhood that is heavily used and everyone helps out each other. There is also a mom’s group and Facebook page that is also very active. Although the houses are older, many people renovate and add on. Some houses are much larger than they appear to be from the street. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

those neighborhoods don't get mentioned because the oil didn't flow that way, according to the map pp posted.