Tag: streams
Residents discuss options on future of Lake Accotink
About 100 people attend a meeting at Kings Glen Elementary School in Springfield on the future of Lake Accotink. Members of the public heard about five options for dealing with the silt build-up in Lake Accotink, including the possibility of severely limiting the size of the lake or even transforming it into wetlands. Dozens of … Continued
New ped bridge installed in Broyhill Crest
A new pedestrian bridge was installed over a creek in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood on May 14 – just 52 days after the old decaying bridge was removed and Mason Supervisor told the community there was no money for a replacement bridge, and just 24 days after Gross reported the Park Authority found the money. … Continued
Park Authority finds money to replace pedestrian bridge
The trail between Murray Lane and Lockwood Lane where a new pedestrian bridge will be installed. Fairfax County has found the money to replace the old, unsafe pedestrian bridge it removed in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood after all, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross informed residents. On March 23, the county removed the bridge, which crosses … Continued
Volunteers clean up Lake Accotink Park
Mountains of trash collected by volunteers at Lake Accotink. [Michael A. Richards] The Spring Cleanup at Lake Accotink Park on April 2 netted an estimated 975 pounds of trash, reports park supervisor Julie Tahan. The cleanup was one of many scheduled for Saturday at parks and streams throughout Fairfax County, including Annandale Community Park, Long … Continued
Residents just wanted pedestrian bridge fixed or replaced and now it’s gone
This is where the bridge used to be. Broyhill Crest residents have been complaining for years about a dilapidated pedestrian bridge over a small creek and urged county officials to fix or replace it. Instead, the county removed the bridge on March 23 and there are no funds for a new one. People attempting to … Continued
Scene around A-Town: Frogs!
I’ve walked along the Holmes Run Stream Valley trail several times a month for years and never saw anything like this: On Sunday, Feb. 28, a large puddle next to the trail was filled with hundreds of very loud frogs. This was on the part of the trail in Annandale near Round Tree Park. The … Continued
Fairfax County to revise master plan for Lake Accotink
The Fairfax County Park Authority is beginning the process of revising the master plan for Lake Accotink Park. A public meeting on the plan revision will be held March 14, 7 p.m., at Cardinal Forest Elementary School. Fairfax Board Chair Sharon Bulova; supervisors John Cook (Braddock), Jeff McKay (Lee), and Pat Herrity (Springfield); and members … Continued
Stream restoration project in Pinecrest Golf Course to start this month
Pinecrest Golf Course. The Fairfax County Park Authority expects to begin work in mid-February on renovating a portion of Turkeycock Run within the Pinecrest Golf Course, at 6600 Little River Turnpike in the Alexandria portion of Mason District. The project is being done to stabilize Turkeycock Run to reduce erosion and sedimentation within the watershed. … Continued
Stream restoration projects under way in Wakefield Park
Accotink Creek in Wakefield Park The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services is carrying out two stream restoration projects at Wakefield Park in Annandale. Work along 3,700 feet in the Accotink Creek watershed area will include the installation of various in-stream structures, a pedestrian bridge crossing, and pipe culverts, as well as … Continued
Trail bridge at Green Spring Gardens is being replaced
The trail bridge at Green Spring Gardens is being replaced by the Fairfax County Park Authority. The three-month construction project will start within the next few weeks. The existing bridge needs to be replaced because of stream erosion. The new bridge will be longer and its supports will be wider apart. The $300,000 project consists … Continued
Local teen fixes up Long Branch trail
Carter Murray on Long Branch trail. The trail along the Long Branch Stream in Annandale has been improved by Carter Murray, 17, who completed an Eagle Scout project involving the use of gravel to smooth out the trail. Murray, a senior at Woodson High School and member to Boy Scout Troop 1965, started planning the … Continued
Scene around A-Town: a big snapper
Snapping turtles bite. [Photo by Kristel Wilson] This large snapping turtle was sighted by Kristel Wilson by the footbridge on the Holmes Run trail near Valleycrest Drive in Annandale. She estimates it was about a foot and a-half long and at one point started chasing her with its mouth wide open. If you see it, … Continued
Plastic bag tax fails in Virginia General Assembly
Plastic bags clog a stream feeding into the Chesapeake Bay. By Elizabeth Kirchner Despite widespread grassroots support and the possibility of about $20 million in annual revenue dedicated to Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, a bill establishing a 5-cent “plastic bag tax” failed to get out of committee Jan 21. The bill, introduced in the Virginia … Continued
Fish kill at Holmes Run
A couple of people who regularly fish in Holmes Run reported a fish kill in recent days, but inspection teams from the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) did not find any dead fish. One person who went fishing at Holmes Run on Jan. 1 saw “a whole lot of fish … Continued
Volunteers form friends group for Long Branch Stream Valley
Volunteers collect trash along the Long Branch trail Oct. 18. [LBSV photos] Volunteers from several Annandale and Fairfax neighborhoods created a new group, the Friends of Long Branch Stream Valley, to maintain the trail and address erosion, water quality management, invasive species removal, and related environmental issues. The 2.75-mile Long Branch trail follows the stream … Continued