Bay Bi-Valves Bounce Back!

The Bay Daily reports that oyster harvests in Chesapeake Bay may double in 2012 from last year's catch of 135,000 bushels.  Still a fraction of historic numbers, the improvement is seen as evidence that the increase in oyster plantings and sanctuaries (boosted in 2010 to 25% of reefs), along with stricter enforcement against poachers, is helping this ecosystem (and important industry) recover. 

Is It Time to go Dutch?

Maesland (ND) Flood Control Gate

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast really got people thinking about what went wrong and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar outcomes in the future.  As you probably saw in my recent posts, residents of the Huntingdon neighborhood along Cameron Run were expecting the worst as Sandy approached their flood-prone neighborhood.  Luckily for them (but not for folks further North in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut) the storm did not result in much damage or rain in the Washington region.  Nevertheless, the storm has really got people thinking about the broader implications of global warming, lack of proper land use and regional watershed planning, and increasing population in coastal areas.  One in a series of interesting New York Times articles recently posits that it may be time to consider measures such as those in the Netherlands for flood control.  In Lessons from a Flood-Prone Land, it is noted that the Dutch approach focuses on flood prevention and control as a basis of National policy--not surprising since most of the Netherlands lies beneath sea level and lack of planning in the past resulted in great loss of life and devastation to the country's economy.  The article also notes that in contrast, the U.S. approach focuses on disaster response in responding to natural disasters.  The main point is that the Netherlands view the high cost of their flood prevention and control efforts (the Delta Works projects cost $13 billion dollars and took four decades to complete) as necessary and a better investment than the cost of simply responding to disasters of this nature after they take place.  Considering that the cost so far to New York State alone from Hurricane Sandy-related damage has topped $42 billion dollars, it may be time to start looking at the Dutch approach as an economical, and necessary, method of preventing the devastation that is sure to visit our shores again and again in the near future.

Sheep Go to Heaven

Finally got my watershed gadget presentation done and posted (see sidebar).  Its a pretty "old-school" tool for removing some of the invasive plants that run rampant in our region--especially the shrub varieties like bush honeysuckle, privet, and multiflora rose.  Not to be outdone though, I am including a link to a company that uses sheep (and i've heard goats as well) to clear invasives from areas where they have become widespread.  The flocks of sheep that are let losse are apparently so proficient that, unfortunately, they will also wipe out anything else growing alongside the invasives so, its like carpet-bombing a natural area.  Still, its seems a pretty good option for those areas that are so overrun with invasives that requiring clearing in order to start over from scratch.  http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/sheep-munch-invasive-plants-atlanta-airport-997322#. 
Anyhow, I'll be down in South Florida for Thanksgiving week and reporting from down there any watershed issues that I might be able to uncover.  I am hoping to run a loop from my house in Lake Worth, over the causeway to Palm Beach Island, and back home this trip.  I'll send you all some sweet photos of the Florida beaches and maybe even some cool swamp pics.  Have a great week!

Cameron Run Levee Coming Soon (?)

Been down in Richmond for the past couple of days getting ready for and running the Richmond Marathon so, I've been a little off the blog lately.  Doesn't mean though, that I wasn't thinking about waterways and watersheds!  If you've never spend time along the James River in Richmond, its a must-see place:  the river is shallow but, wide and fairly fast (even this time of year) in this area with beautiful vistas from several spots in and around the downtown Richmond area.  As I ran across the Huguenot Bridge at about mile 13 of the race, a bald eagle came up from the River and flew up and over the bridge.  Frankly, I've never seen a bald eagle this up close and it was really an inspiring thing to see.  However, the real treat is sitting on the outside deck at Legends Brewery after the race and looking out over the River drinking a tall, cold lager.  Awesome!

But I digress.  Closer to home, and in case you missed it, voters in Fairfax County approved a $30 million bond referendum for stormwater improvements, including the building of a levee along Cameron Run that will (it is hoped) protect the much battered and flooded Huntington neighborhood in Alexandria from flooding.  Approved by 70% of the voters, the levee will stretch a half-mile long and stand 11 feet tall and protect some 200 homes.  http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/11/fairfax-county-voters-approve-30-million-huntington-levee-81891.html.

Urban Rivers and (Yuck) Sewers Are Cool Again

Los Angeles River

As we contemplate the wrath of Sandy, I thought I'd share with you all two important short films recently profiled on Grist that discuss the rediscovery of urban rivers and underground sewers.  Lost River discusses the exploits of "drainers" who explore and photograph some ancient and quite beautiful underground sewers (formerly waterways) in places like Brescia, Italy.  It also looks at the latest trend of unearthing urban rivers and details the succesful effort of Seoul to unearth, restore and revitalize the area around its Cheonggyecheon River--a stream that had traversed the city but, that had disappered under concrete when a major freeway had been built over it in the 1970s.  Closer to home, Rock the Boat, follows the efforts of local residents, paddlers, fishermen and environmentalists to thwart the Corps of Engineers and developers who in the early 2000s undertook to redesignate the Los Angeles River (yes, there is a river there!) as a non-river--and therefore, not have it abide by those pesky Clean Water Act restrictions.  Score one for the river as Los Angeles has recently developed a master plan for restoring the river.  http://grist.org/cities/sewer-discretion-is-advised-explorers-find-hidden-wonders-in-urban-waterways/.  Since the controversy, Friends of the Los Angeles River has sprung up to advocate on behalf of access, cleanup, and restoration of this much despoiled urban waterway. 

Will Levee Bond Referendum Hold?

As I've pointed out in my posts recently about the lower sections of Cameron Run, there is a $30 million dollar bond initiative to build a levee and pumping station to protect the working class Huntington neighborhood in Alexandria from further flooding.  As the accompanying Washington Post article points out, voters in Fairfaxt County will vote on November 6th as to whether they will finance the levee project, as well as two other bond initiatives on the ballot.  Increased development upstream as well as construction of the adjacent Capital Beltway and loss of nearby wetlands have resulted in catastrophic flooding events in recent years that have inundated local homes.  Without approval of the bond, the only remaining option for homeowners is to stay put and put up with future floods, move or hope that a private developer will step in to redevelop the area (and which would likely still result in upheaval of the existing neighborhood).     http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/in-fairfax-county-neighborhood-bond-levee-is-election-days-main-event/2012/10/25/67547aa2-1c59-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_story.html

Cameron Run: Mother Nature Can Bite...and Its Not Always With Teeth!

So I was out walking today (Thursday) around Capitol Hill during my lunch break and the sky was blue, the birds were chirping, the Fall air was cool and I am thinking, "Do I really have to go back to the office?"  Of course, like all good workaholic Washingtonians, I did go back to the office.  Ugh.  Being outdoors though, got me to thinking about my watershed (Cameron Run) and especially the map rendering that I had examined earlier in the week that shows how my watershed's downstream course has been changed over the last half-century on account of suburban development and nearby highway construction.  The rendering, above, accompanied an article in the Washington Post from almost exactly one year ago when a devastating flood inundated many homes in the Huntington neighborhood of Alexandria--the second "100-year" type flood in a five year period.  What's especially interesting is how the course of Cameron run has been altered and channelized over the years. 

The rendering clearly shows that what was once a meandering stream, is now a nearly straight channel.  Due to sedimentation from years of highway construction and reconstruction, increased impervious surface resulting from suburbanization upstream, and channelization of many parts of the waterway, Cameron Run today cannot handle the volumes of water that rush into it and its upstream tributaries during a heavy rain event.  The result: the seemingly endless flooding of a close-knit and vibrant working class neighborhood.  Years of studies and proposals for a levee, pumping station, and redevelopment have borne no fruit so far.  The latter option, redeveloping the neighborhood into a mixed-use area, seems the most viable since it would involve partnering with developers who would have the funds and motivation (on account of the neighborhood's proximity to the Huntington Metro Station) to implement the infrastructure changes that neither the Federal, State, or local government have so far been able to pursue.  



Upstream View of Cameron Run (Huntington Metro Station is at left).

  In the meantime, I think that now that we have an increased awareness of the ill-effects that can befall urban streams (and the neighborhoods and natural areas that sit astride them) when we don't plan with nature, we really need to think and act more rationally and carefully in the future with respect to watershed planning and carefully consider all the effects that altering stream corridor and adjacent wetlands may have not only in the immediate area of any development/disturbance but, also downstream.  The price of not planning and considering all such adverse effects is not only detrimental to wildlife and biodiversity but, also hurts the bottom line and welfare of us humans as well.