City of Alexandria Stormwater Concerns
Comment Form
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Concern 1
Location: The stormwater problem is within the Fort Ward Park maintenance yard which is adjacent to, and drains into, the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.
Concern Type: Erosion; flooding/ drainage; and City land use activity without reviews or permits.
Description: The City Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities Department expanded the existing maintenance yard at Fort Ward Park twice over the years. Each time the City intensified the use of the maintenance yard and modified the area by adding stones to create an area to park vehicles, equipment, materials, and solid waste transfer station dumpsters. The maintenance yard extends down the slope and is now directly adjacent to the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.
The function of the park maintenance yard was expanded to use the area for vehicles, equipment ands materials for the maintenance and management of seven parks within the City. Maintenance area activities, and regarding of the area, have been done on top of areas where African-American residents of the park are buried.
These two actions were taken without any public notice, stormwater permits, special use permit, or solid waste transfer station permit.
The expanded maintenance yard has increased the amount, velocity, and duration of storm water into the Cemetery creating soil erosion, erosion of gravestones, and the subsidence of gravesites.
City managers and elected officials have been contacted repeatedly since April 2008 about the impact of the maintenance yards activity on the graves in the area and within the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. A walking tour of this area, to discuss these problems, was also held on April 30, 2009 with Rich Baier, Acting Director of the Recreation Department, and Lance Mallamo, Director of Historic Alexandria.
Attached are photos of the storm water problems within this area.
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Concern 2
Location: The storm water problem is related to ephemeral stream within Fort Ward Park between the main park loop-road and the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. The stream runs north and
empties into a storm drain near the bottom of the slope.
Concern Type: Erosion; flood/ drainage; dumping of concrete, tires and organic matter into the stream.
Description: The stream originates from a drainage pipe which appears to carry runoff from the Episcopal Seminary property on the other side of Braddock Road. During periods of rainfall the pipe empties water onto grassed areas of the park before entering a culvert under the access road to the maintenance area. Once the runoff comes out of the pipe if flows along a stream course that has been filled with broken concrete, auto tires, branches and piles of leaves that have been placed in the area by the City. During periods of high rainfall the debris is carried down and creates ponding and clogs the storm water structure. The result of this situation is that the land of adjacent private property owners is periodically flooded. Small ponds of water are created, and become stagnant habitat for mosquitoes.
Runoff from the park maintenance yard has also contributed to this problem and has created soil erosion on the slope leading to the stream channel.
City managers have been called repeatedly over a five-year period by adjacent homeowners with no actions taken. This problem was discussed on April 30, 2009 with Mr. Baier and Mr. Mallamo.
Attached are photos of the storm water problems within this area.
About You
Name: J. Glenn Eugster
Address: 4022 Ellicott Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
E-mail: glenn_eugster@comcast.net
Phone: 703-845-8947
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