environment | ALXnow

JUST IN: City Councilman Chapman to ask colleagues to stop Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project

Published April 27, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated April 27, 2021 at 12:00PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

After touring the area and meeting with residents, Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman will ask his colleagues tonight to stop the Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project.

The move is a decisive blow against the project, which city staff defend as the most cost effective alternative to keep up with its Chesapeake Bay Watershed credit requirements. Last month, Chapman and Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker requested a legislative meeting to discuss the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects, which critics say disrupt natural habitats.

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Alexandria celebrates Earth Day virtually

By James Cullum

Published April 22, 2021 at 9:45AM

Today is Earth Day, and for the second year in a row Alexandria is celebrating virtually.

The theme of the 51st annual celebration is “Restore Our Earth,” and residents are encouraged to participate with projects on the city website, including restoration efforts around water, land, air quality and climate.

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City says Taylor Run alternatives could cost far more than current estimates

By Vernon Miles

Published April 9, 2021 at 11:00AM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

City staff have launched a defense of the embattled Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project — criticized by some environmental activists and the city’s Natural Resources Manager Rod Simmons

As part of the budget query process, Vice-Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker asked staff to look into other options as alternatives to the project. Despite reluctance towards the Taylor Run restoration project starting to take hold in the City Council, staff said in a response to Bennett-Parker they believe the current course to be the most effective one.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published March 25, 2021 at 5:00AM

Virginia abolishes death penalty — “Today, Virginia ended its 400-year history of carrying out executions, becoming the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty. Signing this law is the moral thing to do.” [Facebook]

City Council condemns Asian hate — “The resolution highlights the significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to Alexandria’s cultural, educational and economic fabric. It condemns the acts of violence and harassment that have increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including efforts to scapegoat people of Asian descent for the virus.” [Zebra]

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published March 23, 2021 at 5:00AM

Free Krispy Kreme doughnut offered to vaccinated people — “Anyone who has received one or two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can request one free glazed doughnut. A COVID-19 vaccination record card must be shown to receive the offer.” [Patch]

Waterfront art exhibit ‘Groundswell’ on display — “The installation features a ground mural depicting the floor of the Potomac River and more than 100 wood pilings throughout the site. They will range in heights from 12 to 42 inches, in accordance with the river floor topography or bathymetry. Each 14-inch-diameter piling is topped with a cobalt blue mirrored surface etched with growth rings that suggest the passing of time.” [Alexandria Living]

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Council to review Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects this spring

By James Cullum

Published March 16, 2021 at 2:15PM

Critics of the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects will get some of their questions answered this spring.

A recent City Council memo is asking staff to schedule a legislative meeting — preferably in April — for an update on the projects, which a growing chorus say disrupt natural habitats. The issue would be raised during the oral reports portion of the Council meeting.

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City Council member and Environmental Commission join opposition to Taylor Run Restoration

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 3:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

Critics of the city’s plans to restore Taylor Run secured a new voice — City Councilwoman Amy Jackson — to their side when the Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) of Alexandria recently announced its opposition to the current project.

The EPC is an independent body established by the city in 1970 and reviews issues like water quality and environmental conservation.

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City and Environmental Activists Get Into the Mud on Taylor Run Restoration Debate

By Vernon Miles

Published March 8, 2021 at 2:30PM | Updated March 9, 2021 at 9:27AM

(Updated 3/9/21) Under growing pressure from local environmental activists like the Environmental Council of Alexandria to halt the planned Taylor Run Stream Restoration, city staff have fired back with a 10-page response to criticisms of the project.

Opponents say the city is overstating the level of pollution in the creek and the proposed overhaul of the stream bed would damage the health of the watershed by removing foliage, though the city says many of the trees being removed are dead and that more will be replanted.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published February 25, 2021 at 9:00AM

Virginia Rolls Back Some Restrictions on Dining, Outdoor Gatherings — Effective Mar. 1, Virginians will be able to buy and drink alcohol at restaurants, food courts, breweries, distilleries, and wineries until they are required to close at midnight. The changes to the current executive order come amid declining rates of hospitalizations and infections and rising vaccination rates in the Commonwealth, Northam said during a press conference this morning (Wednesday).” [Reston Now]

Alexandria Black History Museum Launches Online Exhibition — “Following George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, the Alexandria Black History Museum (ABHM) requested that Alexandria residents share their thoughts, artwork, and more. ABHM wanted to document the Alexandria community’s response of this tragic event and preserve it for future generations. An online exhibition featuring the items received so far launched recently on the Historic Alexandria Online portal. The items collectively are called the Black Lives Remembered Collection.” [Zebra]

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Poll: Should the City’s Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project Go Forward?

By Vernon Miles

Published February 3, 2021 at 1:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

The city’s plans to overhaul Taylor Run to combat the erosion of the stream has generated some controversy as both local civic groups and some environmental activists have expressed concerns about the restoration’s impacts.

Criticisms of the city’s plan range from the simple — many of the trees and foliage in the forest will be torn down, though the city has committed to planting new growth and says the damage will be worse if erosion is left unchecked — to the more in-the-weeds concerns — like phosphorous levels in the water might not match the city’s models, meaning the levels of estimated pollution justifying the restoration could be lower than what’s currently speculated.

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Stream Restoration in Alexandria Attracts a Deluge of Controversy

By Vernon Miles

Published February 1, 2021 at 1:30PM

Taylor Run (Photo via City of Alexandria)

A project meant to restore Taylor Run, a stream near T.C. Williams High School, has attracted considerable controversy as local environmental activists say the city’s plans will provide minimal benefit and could end up harming the local forest.

The city’s plan is to replace the existing stream with a “natural channel design” that would make it shallower and step-pools and log riffles would be designed to curb erosion. The city’s stated goals are to stabilize the stream corridor and natural environment against erosion, and protect public infrastructure while meeting Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals.