Homeowners in Lake of the Woods were smiling yesterday, when Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law a bill that allows them to leave their dam exactly as it is.

The neighborhood Homeowners Association had been battling the state for eight years over the dam's compliance with spillway volume regulations. The old regulations required Lake of the Woods to improve the spillway of its main dam so it could discharge 37 inches of precipitation in 24 hours -- a rain volume that homeowners argued has never occurred in Virginia.

The change lowers the volume of water the spillway is required to handle. The community's existing  emergency plan, insurance coverage and daily monitoring already meet the new requirements.

Read more in The Free-Lance Star....