Potomac West in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Four Mile Run and Flooding
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The Restoration Project
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I Live Here...Can You Find Me?
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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
this page online
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
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
[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
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 23, 2020
4. Four Mile Run and Flooding / The Restoration Project / I Live Here...Can You Find Me? / Public Art Marker
Erected by Arlington County, Virginia; Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Arts, Letters, Music • Environment • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1980.
Location. 38° 50.551′ N, 77° 3.495′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Potomac West. It can be reached from South Eads Street 0.1 miles
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Four Mile Run Park Wetland (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Betty Louise Josephson King (approx. 0.2 miles away); History at Four Mile Run Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Transportation (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Columns of This Portico (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Scott (approx. 0.3 miles away); Shirley N. Tyler (approx. 0.4 miles away); In Memory of an African-American Family (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 737 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 23, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
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