Tag: environment
BC7RC adopts Seven Corners roadways
The Bailey’s Crossroads/7 Corners Revitalization Corporation has had its Adopt-a-Highway permit renewed until July 2025. The permit covers two roadway sections in Seven Corners: Leesburg Pike between Sleepy Hollow Road and Nevius Street and Patrick Henry Drive between Leesburg Pike and Arlington Boulevard. Volunteers are invited to join a cleanup event on Saturday, Nov. 12. … Continued
Holmes Run is in ‘fair’ condition
Holmes Run, which flows through the Annandale area, is not in great condition, according to a report released Aug. 10 by the Audubon Naturalist Society. The report, The Story of the Streams, evaluates the health of three waterways in the D.C. region. It finds Holmes Run and the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River to … Continued
Plastic bag tax to generate $1.2 million
Fairfax County’s plastic bag tax has raised more than $500,000 for the county in the first quarter of 2022 and is on track to generate more than $1.2 million by the end of the year. That’s the estimate in a memo from the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination to the Board of Supervisors. The … Continued
Culmore kids explore the watershed
Friends of Holmes Run hosted 22 kids from the Culmore/Bailey’s Crossroads area last week for a watershed exploration at the Holmes Run Stream Valley Park east of Columbia Pike. The kids got a close-up view of the watershed and wildlife and carried out various science activities. They learned why Holmes Run is so important for … Continued
Annandale land sold at auction
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was unsuccessful in its attempt to acquire undeveloped land near Accotink Creek that was up for auction. The NVCT had bid on the seven tax-delinquent properties off Spicewood Court in an effort to prevent them from getting into the hands of developers. The properties are in a floodplain, and one … Continued
Discounts offered on energy assessments
Fairfax County encourages residents to take advantage of the Thermalize program, which offers discounted home energy assessments through June 30. Thermalize is administered by the Local Energy Alliance Program and is modeled on LEAP’s Solarize NOVA. Fairfax County residents who sign up by June 30 will receive a $50 discount on a home energy assessment … Continued
Environmental group hopes to prevent developers from buying Annandale land
Fairfax County has again put up for auction seven undeveloped properties in Annandale in a flood plain next to Accotink Creek. The land owner, the Al Root Memorial Foundation, hasn’t paid taxes in years, so according to state law, the county has to auction off the properties to the highest bidder. The auction ends Tuesday, … Continued
Community celebrates Earth Day on the Annandale Greenway
Dozens of people and public officials celebrated Earth Day April 23 at a cleanup event on the Annandale Greenway. Several local leaders spoke to the group at the future Annandale Civic Space as the event started, several local agencies and organizations hosted information tables. The Greenway is a four-mile pathway connecting existing park trails and … Continued
Discounts offered for solar energy
The annual Solarize NOVA program is underway, providing bulk discounts on solar systems for homes and businesses. The Solarize campaign is offered in partnership with the Local Energy Alliance Program and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The campaign runs from April 1 through June 30. The program includes a free assessment of the property to … Continued
Volunteers get plenty of help at Americana Drive cleanup
The semi-annual cleanups along Americana Drive in Annandale are drawing more volunteers and more help from the county and other community partners. Forty-four volunteers turned out for the cleanup on Presidents’ Day. They filled 191 bags of trash and collected at least 19 tires and big piles of construction debris and furniture. The cleanup was … Continued
Climate report predicts extreme heat
The biggest impacts of climate change in Fairfax County will be extreme heat, heavy precipitation, and inland flooding. That’s a key finding of the Climate Projections Report issued this month. The report, a component of the Resilient Fairfax Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, looks at the climate conditions and hazards the county is likely to … Continued
Two sites identified for dredging operation at Lake Accotink
Fairfax County public works staff recommend two sites for processing the sediment to be dredged out of Lake Accotink. Those sites, announced at a community meeting Feb. 10, are at Southern Drive and the maintenance area in Wakefield Park. The dredged material would be transported to whichever dewatering site is chosen via a pipeline. After … Continued
Fairfax County taxes plastic bags
A new 5-cent tax on plastic bags in Fairfax County took effect Jan. 1. The Board of Supervisors approved the tax in September. The tax applies to disposable plastic bags from grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores.
Volunteers and organizations recognized for supporting parks
Volunteers with Friends of Accotink Creek collect litter from the stream. [FACC] The Fairfax County Park Authority has honored the Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) with an Elly Doyle Park Service Award. FACC volunteers protect the watershed by removing trash, replacing invasive plants with native species, monitoring wildlife populations, and educating the public about preserving … Continued
Fairfax County to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers
Gas-powered leaf blowers [Quiet Clean NOVA] The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a measure to phase out the county’s use of gas-powered leaf blowers. The measure also calls for updating Fairfax County’s procurement process to incentivize electric leaf blowers by landscape contractors working for the county.