Article: After Oil Spill, Life Is Good Again in Mantua

Five years ago, a dark secret remained buried in the earth beneath Mantua, its only clues a strange odor and rainbow sheen on Crook Branch Creek.

But today, citizens want everyone to know: Life in this Fairfax County community is good once again.

Vegetable gardens ripen in the August sunshine, flowers burst forth and children frolic in sprinklers.

"There are no problems in the neighborhood, only solutions," said longtime resident and real estate agent Bill Rakow. "I call it `Mantua Magic.' "

The source of anguish for residents of the 1,500-home community was the discovery of a huge petroleum leak from the Pickett Road Tank Farm on a nearby site just west of the Fairfax County line. The spill ...

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