Source: "Watersheds 1994-85" paper map by
Fairfax County Department of Information Technology
That same rainwater will flow down Bull Run, through Occoquan Reservoir into the Potomac River, and then down to the Chesapeake Bay. When the tides and currents slosh water from the Chesapeake Bay further east past Cape Henry/Cape Charles near Norfolk, the rainfall from the Fairfax Campus will finally reach the Atlantic Ocean.
On the east side of Route 123, rain that falls on the parking lots near the academic buildings and the statue of George Mason in front of the George Johnson Center will never flow past Clifton, or through the Occoquan reservoir. Instead, rain that falls on the Fairfax Campus east of 123 will run downhill through ditches and stormwater pipes, into the pond in front of Center for the Arts building, and then underneath Braddock Road. The runoff from the headwaters of the watershed will flow together to form Rabbit Branch. That stream will join with Sideburn Branch to form Pohick Creek.
Pohick Creek will flow past the agricultural fields of the old Lorton prison (now converted into "Laurel Hills") and empty into Pohick Bay, finally joining the Potomac River just north of Mason Neck. Runoff from the original campus of George Mason University drops about 500 feet in its journey before reaching sea level at the Potomac River where it flows past Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason himself.
| All three GMU campuses are the Atlantic Ocean watershed, because the rainwater that falls on all three campuses will drain into the Atlantic Ocean. When GMU opens a campus in Loudoun County, it too will be in the Potomac River watershed. For that matter, Shenandoah University in Winchester, James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, and Mary Baldwin in Staunton are also in the Potomac River watershed.
The University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville is NOT in the Potomac River watershed. Rain that falls on the "grounds" of that university never flows into the Potomac River. Runoff from the "grounds" at UVA flows into the Rivanna River, which is a tributary to the James River. Ultimately, runoff from Mr. Jefferson's university will reach the Chesapeake Bay, but that runoff never flows into the Potomac River. The same is true for the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg - the runoff flows into the Rappahannock, and reaches the Chesapeake Bay without ever getting into the Potomac River.
Virginia Tech is NOT in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. That campus is in the Gulf of Mexico watershed, on the other side of the Eastern Continental Divide from GMU. Rainwater that falls on the home of the Hokies will drain into the New River and flow west, ending up in the Mississippi River.
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GMU's Prince William Campus is in the Broad Run watershed. Broad Run is a tributary of the Occoquan River, so:
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The Fairfax Campus is split between the Popes Head Creek and Pohick Creek watersheds. Popes Head Creek flows into the Occoquan Reservoir, so it is also a tributary of the Occoquan River. Pohick Creek is not in the Ocoquan watershed, however; the water in Pohick Creek never flows into the Occoquan River. Pohick Creek flows downhill to the Potomac River and on to the Chesapeake Bay; it does not defy gravity to flow uphill from the Potomac River into the Occoquan River.
The Arlington Campus of GMU is on the divide between Spot Run and Four Mile Run. At the scale of the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer, the orange coloring to indicate dense urban development obscures the location of the streams... and on the ground, the pavement and stormsewers obscure the actual flow of the water. If you look at the drainage pattern from a "big picture" perspective, all three campuses are in watersheds that drain into the Potomac River. It's legitimate to say that all the campuses are in the Potomac River watershed - or for that matter, the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Atlantic Ocean watershed. However, all three are not in the Occoquan River watershed... GMU has used a number of Virginia geographic names to identify streets and dormitories. When housing officials designated three "neighborhoods for on-campus dorms, however, the relationships of those dorms with Virginia watersheds was not considered. For example, places named after the Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads were lumped together in the Rappahannock neighborhood. |
 GMU street sign - Rivanna River Way (the Rivanna River flows from Charlottesville to the James River) |
