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TextOn the Ground! Rain Garden and Stream Restoration Projects
The Conservation District has been busy this year! Three new projects have gone in on the ground as the result of NVSWCD’s hard work and partnerships.
Marymount University Rain Garden
At Marymount University (left), the landscape is changing… using low
impact development. A 600 square foot rain garden was installed to
catch the first 1" of storm runoff from 1.2 acres of pervious and
impervious surfaces, including the campus library building.
The project partners were Arlington County and Marymount University,
and Northern Virginia SWCD. A rain garden workshop after construction
attracted over 30 participants, showcasing the site and teaching
attendees how to choose a site and design and implement a rain garden
on their own property.
Stream Restoration: Little Pimmit Run and Kingstowne II
Two stream restoration projects were undertaken, one at Little Pimmit Run and another in the Kingstowne community.
At Little Pimmit Run, runoff from a drainage
ditch (left) and stream bank erosion threatened an exposed 21-inch
sanitary sewer main. The stream restoration project solved the issue
by stabilizing the stream bank (100 linear feet) and drainage channel
(70 linear feet) using J-hook rock vanes, floodplain benching, step
pools and re-vegetation.
The project was funded by Fairfax County Dept. of Public Works and
Environmental Services and NVSWCD managed the design, permitting,
construction, as well as the outreach and coordination with the
community that facilitated construction of the project.
The Kingstowne II stream restoration built on the success of Kingstowne I, one of the first projects to use natural channel design in the region. The Kingstowne II $1.2 million project restored another badly eroded section of the stream, which now features aquatic life, a gentle slope and a well-vegetated riparian buffer. The partnership included the Nature Conservancy, Army Corps of Engineers, Kingstowne HOA, & Fairfax County. Kingstowne Photo Credit: Stephanie Bianco
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