Stream
Restoration
Snakeden Branch Stream
Upstream of Soapstone Road:
Construction crews are finishing in the runoff streams that are between Wheelwright and Saddler Oaks Clusters and along Bristol House Condos (Reaches 6A, 6B, and 8). The RA pathway will be closed in this section during tree work and construction.
Crews will continue restoring the main Snakeden Branch stream that follows along to Soapstone Road until October 30th.
Tree and shrub planting is underway in Reaches 4-10. When the stream reaches were completed, the weather was too dry and hot for plantings to survive without watering. A planting contractor began Sept. 27th in Reach 4 near Deepwood and will work down to Soapstone to finish planting all completed stream reaches.
Downstream of Soapstone Road:
Tree work has begun within the orange fencing in the stream reaches east of Soapstone Road down to the bridge at Lake Audubon.
Trees with pink and black striped flagging are saved trees within the limits of clearing.
The tributary stream that runs from the Reston National Golf Course, past Glencourse Cluster, and under South Lakes Drive will also be restored this Fall.
Trail Closures:
The paved trail behind the dry cleaners on Soapstone Road will be closed. Please use the trail from the parking lot of the 7-11 to access the main trail.
The trail from South Lakes Drive underpass that crosses bridge 36 will be closed during construction and bridge replacement.
Glade Stream Valley
A stream restoration walk is planned for Sunday, October 19th from 1pm to 2pm. The areas included in the first three stream reaches west of Steeplechase Drive will be walked to discuss the proposed restoration project. Meet at the Colts Neck Tennis Courts between Steeplechase Drive and Basset Lane on Colts Neck Road.
To see a map of stream restoration locations and to pinpoint your property in relation to the project, visit http://reston.wetlandstudies.com. Each stream reach with a completed design is linked to pictures and more technical information for residents.
Thank you for your patience during our stream restoration project. If you are interested in learning more about the stream restoration project, please contact Nicki Foremsky, RA’s Watershed Supervisor at 703-435-6560 or email nicki@reston.org.
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- Construction in Reaches 1, 2, and 3 completed April 2008.
- Reach 4 completed June 30th
- Reach 5 completed August 15th
- Reach 10 completed end of August
- Reaches 7 and 9, completed end of September
- Construction in Reaches 6, 8, and 11 down to Soapstone underway until end of October 2008.
- Finish Snakeden restoration to Lake Audubon Spring 2009.
- Designs Underway - Completed Fall 2008.
- Drilling for bridge supports complete
- Survey crews out now
- Construction to Follow Winter 2009.
- Data Collection Nearly Complete.
- Design to Begin Fall 2008.
- Construction 2010?
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10-year monitoring program once construction is complete includes:
- Streambed surveys
- Structure surveys
- Vegetation surveys
- Biological Surveys
Must meet success criteria outlined in Mitigation Banking Instrument or it will be fixed.
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Northern Virginia Stream Restoration, LC (NVSR), managed by Wetland
Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), will be restoring the stream channels
in Reston over the next several years, starting with the Snakeden Branch
stream network. The restoration work is funded through the establishment
of the Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank (NVSRB), in cooperation with Reston Association (RA), whereby impacts to streams in other local areas can be compensated for through the purchase of restored stream “credits” in Reston.
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Reston was chosen for several reasons. First, the stream channels are in
desperate need of restoration with steep, actively eroding banks threatening trails, sanitary sewers, and trees, not to mention the detrimental effects of the hundreds of tons of sediments that are deposited in Lake Audubon every year. This sediment not only impacts the water quality through the introduction of phosphorus and other pollutants, but also represents a significant expense to RA in terms of dredging costs. Secondly, the stream valleys within Reston are an integral part of the community and are heavily utilized by residents. Lastly, given the geographic location of Reston, the stream network can be restored from top to bottom, greatly enhancing the likelihood of success compared to restoring only a segment of a stream reach.
The streams are being restored through the use of Natural Channel
Design (NCD) techniques and will include raising the bed to reconnect
higher storm flows with the floodplain; placement of a reinforced bed
comprised of crushed stone, sand, gravel, and topsoil; placement of rock
structures to direct flow away from channel banks and to create riffle/
pool features within the bed of the stream; and heavy planting densities
of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous materials that not only provide
stability to the channel bed and banks, but also provide significant
habitat benefits.
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For more information, please contact
Nicki Foremsky, Watershed Supervisor, at 703-435-6560
or email Nicki@reston.org.
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