The City of Alexandria
As rain falls in Alexandria this week, there is no denying that the City has a huge stormwater management problem. Four major rain events since 2019 have caused record numbers of flooding issues and property damage in the City.
Studies of streams in need of restoration in the area were identified as early as 2004 as part of Phase I of the stream assessment process. During Phase III in 2018, Taylor Run and Strawberry Run were identified as the two sites most in need of restoration.
Part of the problem is that much of Alexandria was developed prior to stormwater regulation requirements. Climate change has intensified rainwater and flooding events. The heavy flow of water that results from these events has exacerbated the erosion, sediment loss and blockages in the streams like Strawberry Run. According to the City, restoration is needed to prevent loss of private property and public infrastructure from the erosion of stream banks.
At a public engagement meeting held virtually Wednesday night, a few individuals from the Strawberry Run team went over the latest developments on the project. The team is made up of members of three City departments: Transportation and Environmental Services, the Department of Project Implementation and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. A private consulting company, wood., was hired to design the restoration project. A contractor to complete construction will be hired once the design is finalized.
The design will use natural design elements based off of site-specific assessments to create a solution that will promote long-term stream health and restore healthy stream characteristics. Some of the natural elements used will be step pools, log riffles, cascades and a plunge pool to slow water flow and encourage the return of native wildlife.
The natural channel restoration method has caused some controversy among local residents and environmentalists who argue that it is unnecessary and could cause more harm than good. This is due mainly to the fact that approximately 89 trees will need to be removed in the current project design. Opponents fear that this will disrupt the existing ecosystem and make flooding worse.
In response to this concern, the project will remove invasive species as well as plant and monitor thousands of native trees and shrubs to replace the affected trees. Presenters went on to show examples of increased and renewed wildlife from similar restoration projects like Big Rocky Run, Cullers Run, North Mill Creek, Tuscarora Creek and Piney Branch which is currently under construction.
The downstream portion of Strawberry Run was also restored 10 years ago. While some members of the public at the meeting criticized the downstream section for not being well maintained, City staff responded by saying that completion of the restoration of the upstream portion of Strawberry Run will benefit the downstream portion.
They City is asking for feedback during a 21-day project comment period that will be open until Nov. 20. The design will incorporate changes based off of feedback and will continue to offer opportunities for public engagement. For more information, visit the project’s website here.
