by Marlene Berlin The Soapstone Valley’s new temporary roads are being put through their paces already. Eventually, the roads will be used to haul in equipment for the sewer rehabilitation project, which will include relining the 110-year-old pipes. DC Water’s contractor started installing them a little more than a month ago, both to provide pathways […]
Linnean Park has officially been adopted by some neighbors
In 2014, a DC stream restoration project gave us a park between Broad Branch Terrace and Linnean Avenue. Now, Linnean Park has a group of official caretakers. The Linnean Park Partnership was established early this year through an agreement between the DC Department of Parks & Recreation and a group of environmentally committed neighbors to […]
In the Soapstone Valley, DC Water is building bridges
by Marlene Berlin The Soapstone Trail creek crossing closest to Broad Branch Road could be tough to navigate. This one looks easy. There is a new bridge – a substantial one – at this crossing. DC Water says it was completed on Monday, April 11th, and that a subcontractor is installing two additional bridges. One […]
Photos: (Temporary) roadwork in the Soapstone Valley
by Marlene Berlin DC Water calls them “heavy equipment pathways.” Really, they are roads, temporary ones, being built to move heavy equipment in and out of Soapstone Valley Park for the long-planned sewer pipe and stream reconstruction work. It’s been exactly a month since the park closed for this prep work phase. DC Water’s contractor […]
Plan your Saturday: Morris dancers greet spring at Peirce Mill; Join the Rock Creek “Extreme Cleanup,” Shop the “Books and Blossoms” pop-up
4/7/2022 update: Friends of Peirce Mill says the mill will not be running on April 9th after all, due to a “recently identified safety issue.” “The gears will be still, but the Mill will nevertheless be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with volunteers and park rangers on hand to provide […]
GWU graduate students are studying the costs and benefits of the Broad Branch daylighting
George Washington University graduate students have a few questions for those of us who have enjoyed visiting Broad Branch stream since its “daylighting.” A portion of the stream east of Linnean Avenue where it meets Broad Branch Road saw the light in 2014 after being piped underground for decades. The DC Department of Energy and […]
More on DC Water’s plans to cut, plant and protect Soapstone trees during and after the sewer and stream rehabilitation
Trees are coming down for the DC Water Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project now under way. And according to the agency’s March 27th project update, most of the trees marked for removal have been cut down since the park closed for the 1.5-year project on March 7th. At ANC 3F’s request, the agency released a fact […]
Photos: Soapstone sewer project work so far
by Marlene Berlin Soapstone Valley Park and trail are two weeks into a 1.5-year closure for DC Water’s sewer rehabilitation project. The work so far has included taking down some trees and constructing pathways for heavy trucks and equipment needed to reline the aging sewer pipes, and to bring in materials for stream restoration and […]
The other Soapstone Valley project involves stormwater control and stream restoration
At a meeting of ANC 3F’s Parks and Watersheds Committee this week, DC Water and contractors gave the most detailed overview to date of the stormwater control and stream restoration aspect of the Soapstone Valley sewer rehabilitation project now getting under way. As we reported in 2019, the Soapstone stream is badly eroded after decades […]
Soapstone Park now closed for 1.5-year sewer rehabilitation project
Sunday was your last chance to walk the stream crossings and trail in the Soapstone Valley for at least the next 1 1/2 years. The trail closed Monday for the construction phase of the Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project, and will remain closed through October 3rd, 2023, said DC Water in a project update email on […]