April 9, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: Many of us in the community have gathered to plant and restore the riparian buffer along Woods Creek, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, a vital resource for humans and wildlife alike. Woods Creek Trail is used and enjoyed by many (human and wildlife alike) and is open freely to all.
We encourage community members to attend the public hearing at Rockbridge County High School auditorium on April 23 at 6 p.m. to air concerns over proposed water usage by the expanded golf course.
The golf course proposes to remove up to nine million gallons per month of surface water from Woods Creek (with a cap at 45 million gallons per year). In addition, the builders plan to lower the pond embankment “to promote efficient drainage.” Where will this drainage go? What contaminants will it contain? Lowered water levels during high water usage periods (the summer) could increase heat in the creek and negatively impact the aquatic life there.
Golf courses are notorious for heavy pesticide and herbicide use. The combined threat from chemical runoff and water removal has the potential to harm both wildlife and human health. Rates of Parkinson’s disease double if you live within a mile of a golf course.
Washington and Lee University, a collaborator with the Lexington Golf and Country Club on the expansion, prides itself on its sustainability program. This renovation presents an opportunity: a true visionary would build an organic golf course, with native plantings, like the Vinyard Golf Club.
Lexington Golf and Country Club could serve as an industry leader in innovation by exploring alternatives to weed-free fairways. While initially challenging, an organic or hybrid-organic course would be well worth the effort. It took community concerns over their aquifer to make Vinyard Golf Club a reality.
TIM LUBIN and LAURE STEVENS-LUBIN Kerrs Creek
