Tag: environment | Page 14 | Annandale Today

Major sewage spill at Holmes Run and Cameron Run

October 14, 2013

#accidents, #environment, #safety, #streams

Dead fish in Dora Kelley Nature Park. [Photo by Mark Kelly.] UPDATE: A notice from Fairfax County urges people to avoid Holmes Run stream between Columbia Pike and Dowden Terrace. A sanitary sewer line has broke at Holmes Run, and the City of Alexandria has published a warning urging people to “avoid contact with waters … Continued

Public invited to free workshop on preserving watersheds

October 3, 2013

#environment, #nature, #stormwater, #streams, #water

Rain barrels don’t have to be boring. Learn how you can help protect, preserve, and improve local watersheds at a free workshop Saturday, Oct. 5, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus. Educational presentations on the value of the watershed and how to promote sustainable practices will take place in the Ernst Center, 10 a.m.-4 … Continued

Overuse of pesticides is killing off bees essential for pollination

September 6, 2013

#environment, #gardening, #nature, #wildlife

Dead bees under trees sprayed in a mall in Wilsonville, Ore. [Photo by Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society.] By Deanna Crumbling In Wilsonville, Ore., on June 17, it was discovered that a chemical weapon of mass destruction had left over 25,000 carcasses in the parking lot of a shopping center, and the bodies were … Continued

Volunteers needed for Accotink Creek cleanups

September 2, 2013

#environment, #nature, #streams, #volunteers, #water

Volunteers with some of the tires and trash taken out of local streams. (Photo from Friends of Accotink Creek.] Community associations, nonprofits, employee groups, religious institutions, scout groups, students needing community service hours, and anyone who cares about having clean, healthy, litter-free waterways are encouraged to join the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup, beginning next Saturday. … Continued

FXCO orders community to plant 400 trees and shrubs – or be penalized

August 28, 2013

#environment, #neighborhood groups, #stormwater, #streams

The site in dispute is between the Glen Forest Pool and Long Branch Creek. When residents of Glen Forest in Bailey’s Crossroads decided to clean up a vacant area next to the community pool—clearing out poison ivy and other vines—to provide a nice, safe space for picnics and children’s recreation, they had no idea they … Continued

Opponents of I-95 ramp continuing to press for pollution monitoring

August 22, 2013

#community organizations, #environment, #health, #traffic, #transportation

Pylons for the ramp are under construction. After months of trying to get government officials to halt construction of a ramp on Interstate 95 between the Edsall Road and Route 236 exits, members of the citizen advocacy group Concerned Residents of Landmark are disappointed that the ramp is being built, but “we haven’t given up,” … Continued

What’s wrong with moss?

August 17, 2013

#environment, #gardening, #nature

This is the third piece in a three-part series on lawns by Jim McGlone, an urban forest conservationist in the Virginia Department of Forestry. The first piece, published April 9, explored the forces at play in the popularization of the “great American lawn.” The second article, published April 23, described how to keep your lawn … Continued

Annandale schools get grants for environmental projects

August 15, 2013

#environment, #gardening, #nature, #schools

Belvedere Elementary School’s outdoor classroom. Two elementary schools in the Annandale area have been awardedgrants for environmental projects from Dominion Power’s foundation. Canterbury Woods Elementary School was awarded $3,500 to create an outdoor classroom and science lab, where students will study the life cycles of seeds and monarch butterflies, learn about the interaction of animals … Continued

Crews working on Holmes Run accidentally damaged a sewer line

August 13, 2013

#environment, #streams, #water

Crews working on the Holmes Run stream restoration project inadvertently damaged a 30-inch terra cotta sewer line owned by Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria reported Aug. 12. The sewer line crosses Holmes Run near Chambliss Street in Lincolnia. A small amount of sewage escaped from the broken pipe until the contractor, Avon construction company, … Continued

Fairfax County zoning board rejects cell tower at Parklawn pool

July 31, 2013

#cell tower, #environment, #land use, #zoning

The Board of Zoning Appeals [Photo is from a video by Channel 16] In a huge victory for residents who live next to a proposed cell tower at the Parklawn Recreation Association, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted July 31 to deny a special permit for the cell tower. That means the … Continued

Synthetic turf fields planned for Annandale and Stuart high schools

July 30, 2013

#environment, #health, #Recreation, #schools, #sports

A synthetic turf field at Mason District Park in Annandale. The Fairfax County School Board has voted to use one-time funding, identified during a final review of the FY 2013 budget, to support a joint Fairfax County initiative that would fund synthetic turf fields at Annandale, Stuart, and six other high schools, states a FCPS … Continued

Wakefield Run restoration project in Annandale is collaborative effort

July 25, 2013

#Cook, #environment, #land use, #nature, #parks, #stormwater

A symbolic groundbreaking ceremony was hundreds of feet from Wakefield Run and several weeks before the start of construction. The increasing urbanization of the Annandale area is putting lots pressures on waterways. All the impervious surfaces created by development is causing stormwater to rush into streams causing erosion, but at least one degraded stream is … Continued

Public housing tenant stuck in apartment with toxic mold

July 23, 2013

#Bailey's Crossroads, #environment, #government services, #health, #housing

Rosedale Manor is on Spring Lane in Bailey’s Crossroads. Linda Pelligrino has been sickened by the toxic mold that has contaminated her apartment in the Rosedale Manor complex in Bailey’s Crossroads but can’t get the Fairfax County Housing Department to fix the problem or move her to another unit. The complex is in the Public … Continued

New Dominion Power program encourages use of solar energy

June 20, 2013

#Dominion Power, #environment, #utilities

Solar panels on the roof of Annandale resident Bob Kovacs’ second home in the Blue Ridge mountains. If you’ve got solar panels on your property or plan to install them within the next six months, you can apply for Dominion Virginia Power’s Solar Purchase Program, beginning June 20, which is designed to help cover your … Continued

Native plants to be rescued before Wakefield Run restoration project starts

June 19, 2013

#environment, #gardening, #infrastructure, #nature, #volunteers, #water

Mayapple, one of the native plants to be saved. Friends of Accotink Creek (FAC) is seeking volunteers to help rescue native plants along Wakefield Run before a major restoration project starts on July 24. The $440,000 project is aimed at curbing erosion caused by runoff from the beltway and stabilizing the stream bed. Wakefield Run … Continued