Four Mile Run and Flooding / The Restoration Project / I Live Here...Can You Find Me? / Public Art

Four Mile Run and Flooding, also, The Restoration Project, also, I Live Here...Can You Find Me?, also, Public Art. . , [Left panel:] , Four Mile Run and Flooding , The population of the neighborhoods near Four Mile Run grew extensively in the 1940s and 1950s, following World War II. Many new buildings and roads were constructed covering more of the land with hard surfaces, and replacing many natural stream channels with storm sewer pipes. Stormwater ran off the hard surfaces and flowed quickly through the storm sewers, casing frequent flooding in Arlandria. The communities south of 395 sustained over $40 million worth of property damage as a result of floods that ravaged the watershed throughout the 1960s and early 1970s., The Federal Flood Control Project , In 1974, Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a flood control channel to contain the flow of a 100-year storm event. The project was completed and dedicated in August 1980., Four Mile Run Restoration Project , In 2000, citizens involved in the Potomac Yard Planning Process realized the untapped potential of lower Four Mile Run. The flood channel was very effective at preventing floods; however, the design did not address environmental or recreational needs of the community. The Four Mile Run Joint Task Force, with members from Arlington and Alexandria, secured federal funding and led an extensive public process to develop the Four Mile Run Restoration Master Plan and Design Guidelines., Arlington Living Shorelines Project Ground-Breaking, October 2016 , The task force selected a demonstration project to build from the Four Mile Run Restoration Master Plan. The restoration work included re-created an historic wetland in Alexandria, and removing large stones (rip-rap) from the stream banks, replanting with native plants, and installing living shorelines in Arlington., [Second plaque from the left:] , The Restoration Project , Living Shorelines Project , When the flood channel was built, the stream banks of Four Mile Run were hardened with large stones called rip-rap. The Arlington restoration project included naturalization of the stream bank by removing this stone and replanting the banks with native meadow plants such as black eyed Susan, bee balm, goldenrod, and milkweed. Nine living shoreline features were also installed along the water's edge in Arlington. Living shorelines are small breakwaters made of stone with wetland plants behind them, which provide wildlife habitat and improve water quality. The living shoreline plants include arrow arum, pickerelweed, broadleaf arrowhead, and common three-square., Wetland Project , The Alexandria wetland project restored an historic wetland that was filled in when the flood channel was built. The wetland was completed in 2016 and the area is thriving with fish, birds, and other wildlife enjoying the new habitat. The plants include yellow pond-lily, annual wild rice, arrow arum, rose mallow, square-stemmed monkey flower, blue flag iris, river bulrush, and more., Plants The native plants to the Four Mile Run stream and wetland include pickeralweed, arrow arum, three-square, bee balm, common rush, black-eyed Susan, mountain mint, goldenrod, and more., [Second plaque from the right:] , I Live Here...Can You Find Me? , Many Animals Make Their Home Along Four Mile Run , Birds like wood ducks, herons, kingfishers and hawks live and fish along the stream. Fish like herring, shad, sunfish, shiners and suckers are common in Four Mile Run., The restoration project supports these animals by adding thousands of native plants to the habitat along the stream. Native plants support more types of local insects, which are the primary food for birds and fish along the stream. The living shoreline areas also provide new habitat for young fish and turtles that live in the stream., [Marker on the far right:] , Public Art , Watermarks , Developed by Julie Bargmann, founder and principal of D.I.R.T studio, the twelve Watermarks are intended to bring attention to stormwater pipes underneath the trail which contribute to the stream flow. Each Watermark makes the underground stormwater pipes symbolically visible to users of the Four Mile Run trail, highlighting the need for environmental stewardship and awareness in support of the Four Mile Run stream restoration efforts. The development of Watermarks is the result of a design study for the Four Mile Run stream area funded in part by a National Endowment for the Arts' Access to Artistic Excellence Design grant., Ripple , Dutch artists Tejo Remy and René Vennhuizen were commissioned to create a unique design enhancement for the fence surrounding the Water Pollution Control Plant. Ripple reflects the function of the plant and serves as a landmark and gathering spot for the community. The artwork, installed in 2015, consists of more than 800 linear feet of undulating fence panels the shape of which calls to mind the flow of water in and out of the facility. The panels are adorned with brightly colored "widgets," which are based on the designers' interpretation of tools and methods used at the plant to treat 25 million gallons of wastewater from residences and businesses each day. A bench, installed in 2017, designed by Remy and Vennhuzen accompanies the fence enhancement and is installed right along the multi-use trail for all to enjoy.