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Sharon North,
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Piney Run Drive is a quiet, wooded cul-de-sac in the Alexandria area of southern Fairfax County, Va., located off Old Telegraph Road, just north of Fort Belvoir. The road is lined with lush ferns and tangles of vines, and some yards are enclosed with wooden split-rail fences. The canopy of mature trees forms a tunnel over the narrow asphalt road, providing cooling shade during hot…
On Friday, November 16, a group from The World Resources Institute’s Washington, D.C. office toured the I-95 landfill complex in Lorton, Va. Environmental compliance specialist Erin Abrahams led the tour, which focused on the general operations of the solid…
On Friday, November 30, 2018, the National Association of Counties Foundation for the Improvement of Public Services and the U.S. Communities Foundation presented a check to Fairfax County in the amount of $50,000. The money is designated for future playground equipment to be built when the Original Mount Vernon High School site is renovated.
A master development…
Brian Keightley is the new Urban Forest Management Division Director, Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. Former and soon-to-retire division director Keith Cline and Keightley are working together for a smooth transition.
“Brian is an outstanding addition to the Urban Forest Management Division and to Fairfax County leadership,” Cline said. “I look forward to…
It is that time of year again! Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone and now it is time to spread some holiday cheer in the form of work parties, family gatherings, and the promise of a happy New Year! And while consumerism typically reigns during the holidays, there are some great strategies for reducing waste you can apply when planning your next…
On Friday, November 30, 2018, freshwater ecologist Danielle Wynne spoke to more than 600 students at two assemblies at Rose Hill Elementary School in Alexandria. Wynne,wholeads theWatershed Education and Outreach section within the Stormwater Planning Division of Fairfax County's Department of Public Works and Environmental Services,introduced the students to what it means to be…
Students, teachers, urban foresters and other volunteers planted10 native trees at Mantua Elementary School in early November. “I found it magical to have ten, tall, beautiful, native trees in the play yard at the end of the day where before there had been none,” said Michele Sullivan, fifth grade teacher, Fairfax County Public Schools. “As a teacher, it was fun to watch the kids…
This holiday season, consider decorating your home with a living tree that you can later plant in your yard to enjoy for many years to come. Simply leave the tree’s roots balled or covered in burlap, and place the tree in a container. Before moving the tree inside, allow the tree to adjust to cooler temperatures by storing it in an unheated garage or shed for a few days. Do this again when it’s…
In late October, approximately 20 adults from George Mason University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute toured Fairfax County’s trash and recycling processing facilities at the I-66 transfer station in Fairfax and the I-95 landfill complex in Lorton. OLLI is an educational and social organization of more than 1,200 retirees living in the area.
The tour began with an explanation of…
A pollinator meadow planting event was held at the Alban Road vehicle maintenance facility in Springfield on Saturday, November 10. More than 30 volunteers from the Department of Vehicle Services (DVS), George Mason University’s Engineers for International Development program, and Friends of Accotink Creek helped install native plants.
"Thank you to our partners in DVS,…
At its meeting on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed Randy Bartlett to lead the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. A national search was conducted to fill the position held since 2009 by retiring director James Patteson. Bartlett has served as deputy director of DPWES since December 2005, overseeing the Stormwater and Wastewater…
At a ceremony scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, October 23, 2018, two employees from the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services will receive Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Awards. The Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council…
The Fairfax County Tree Commission will honor the late John Palmer with a 2018 Friends of Trees award on October 23 for his contributions to enhancing the natural environment. John’s work on stream restorations, stormwater management and community planting projects will benefit the community for many years to come.
John was a Landscape Architect in the Stormwater Planning Division,…
On September 26, 2018, Fairfax County and the team of Elm Street Development and The Alexander Company completed the real estate closing on the second phase of the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse project. The agreement continues the work that began in late 2015 to redevelop the historic core of the former Lorton Reformatory into a vibrant mixed-use community.
Phase 2 work includes the…
Recent wet weather is a reminder of the destructive power of water and the associated costs of road maintenance and repairs. Water infiltrates voids between traditional stone road bases beneath asphalt surfaces, compromising the substructure and creating potholes.
A new pilot project at Fairfax County’s I-95 landfill complex is testing the viability of using a mix of recycled…
The MS4 Program has been awarded a Gold Level in Program Management and a Silver Level in Innovation by the not-for-profit Water Environment Federation (WEF) of Alexandria, VA, in the National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards Program. These levels were selected based on rigorous review and discussion among the WEF work team and provides a comparative bench-marking level…
The project to renovate the Fairfax Connector Reston-Herndon Bus Operating Facility, located at 268 Spring Street, Herndon, Va., was substantially completed on July 27, 2018. The $12,633,300 project was undertaken to improve the efficiency of the facility where 80 Fairfax Connector buses are maintained and repaired. To allow operations to continue uninterrupted, the building was renovated…
On June 28, 2018, the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters located at 12099 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Va., achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Certified buildings are resource efficient and less expensive to heat, cool, and maintain. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)…
In Fairfax County and other areas of the country, polluted stormwater runoff is a leading cause of water pollution. The county drainage system is designed to convey stormwater, rain and snowmelt, from the land to lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. Stormwater is not conveyed to a water treatment plant.
Stormwater from streets, yards and parking lots may carry chemicals, bacteria and…
Fairfax County’s Solid Waste Management Program is celebrating the sixth annual National Garbage Man Day during the week of June 17 to 24. Trash collection is hard, physical work and it’s…
At its annual Public Works Week picnic on May 23, 2018, Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services collected 120 pounds of compostable materials, or about one-third of the event’s overall waste. The other…
Fairfax County’s wastewater treatment plant achieved perfect compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit in 2017. This marks the 20th consecutive year the Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant in Lorton, Va., has earned the Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
NACWA’s Peak Performance…
During the week of April 16, forty-two high school students, 60 elementary school students, and 25 middle school teachers boarded the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's research workboat, the Bea Hayman Clark, for an educational experience they won't soon forget.
Throughout the day, students discussed watersheds, performed water quality testing, conducted plankton studies, and trawled for…
Fairfax County, Virginia, has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.
NACo recognized “...
The I-95 landfill complex is sitting on a goldmine, liquid gold, that is, as in pure honey. At least that’s the case South County High School students in Ms. Kellen Scott’s marketing class are making.
The complex has ...
Fairfax County’s Urban Forest Management Division continued its tree planting program last week in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools. UFMD staff Linda Barfield and Hugh Whitehead and Mark Moseley, STEAM Resource Teacher and Get2Green Advisor at Dogwood Elementary School, were…
Fairfax County’s Wastewater Management Program has published a new report titled “Sustaining the Environment and Protecting Public Health.” The publication explains the program’s efforts to protect, restore, and…
Fairfax County has earned the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation for the 35th consecutive year. Each year since its inception in 1976, thousands of urban foresters across the country submit applications to be considered to receive this cherished designation. The accomplishment will be celebrated during a brief ceremony at the county’s Earth Day event, Springfest Fairfax, on…
Urban foresters have been out surveying and treating trees at Hemlock Overlook, near the Occoquan River in the southern part of the county, and in Scott's Run which is in the northeastern area of the county. Hemlock trees are more common in the Appalachian Mountains, but there is a small population of naturally occurring hemlocks in Fairfax County.
"In the 1950s a particularly nasty…
The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) will recognize six Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services projects during an awards ceremony at the chapter’s 60th Annual Conference and Equipment Show on May 1-4, in Fredericksburg, Va. The annual awards celebrate the best infrastructure projects constructed in Virginia, Maryland, and…
Fairfax County has matured from a rural community to a suburban bedroom community to a highly desirable place to live and work, with its own thriving economy. As the county urbanizes, development projects and transportation improvements have become more complicated. Fortunately, Fairfax County has 21 Certified Construction Managers (CCMs) on staff to navigate through regulations, engage the…
Every kids knows what a butterfly is, but what on earth is a caddisfly? Belle View Elementary School students found out at the school’s annual STEAM night on Tuesday, Feb. 20. (STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.)
Danielle Wynne, an ecologist in the Stormwater…
Michael Schindler, engineering tech II, Wastewater Design and Construction, Capital Facilities, Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, was recently awarded the U.S. President's Volunteer Service Award for his 318.5 volunteer hours in 2017.
The President's Award encourages citizens to "live a life of service through presidential gratitude and national…
Urban forester Hugh Whitehead says it is important to provide adequate space for trees in urban development projects, a concept known as urban greening.
"Potential benefits of urban greening include improved mental and physical health; improved air quality, stormwater management, water quality, and public safety; strengthened economics, and improved social well-being," Hugh said.…
Three scientists from the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services served as judges at Chantilly High School’s annual science fair on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. The staff members were invited to participate by biology teacher Michele…
Fairfax County's Solid Waste Management Program has won the 2017 SWANA Safety Award for Biggest Improvement in the category of Collection and Transfer. This national award from the Solid Waste Association of North America recognizes the county's commitment to ensuring its solid waste employees make it home safely every night. The award will be presented during a ceremony on Sept. 27 at the…
The exotic, invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an extremely challenging insect to manage. Its larvae burrow under the bark of ash trees (Fraxinus sp.) which slowly cut off the source of water and food that the tree needs to survive and is almost always fatal to North American ash species. The EAB larvae are well-protected under the bark of the tree, so it is not feasible to…
On May 9, 2017, the Pohick Regional Library (6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke, Va.) achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects are scored based on points earned in sustainable design categories. Certified buildings are resource efficient and less expensive to heat, cool, and maintain, and Fairfax County now…