Tour The Broad Branch Stream Restoration Site

by Steve Saari
Watershed Protection Specialist
District Department of the Environment

The once and future Broad Branch stream bed.

The District Department of Environment (DDOE) is currently seeking bids for a contractor to restore a stream that originates from a spring on National Park Service land behind Politics and Prose, and flows to a bridge near the intersection of 36th Street, NW and Nevada Avenue, NW.

Currently, the stream enters a pipe which flows beneath Broad Branch Road until the water comes again to the surface as Broad Branch, a tributary to Rock Creek. A contractor should be selected this spring and construction should start this summer to restore this stream to the surface. The entire project should take between three and six months to complete. (Read more about the “daylighting” process here.)

Surface streams improve water quality in comparison to piped streams by exposing the water flowing through it to sunlight, air, soil, and vegetation, all of which help process and remove pollutants. Additionally, streams provide habitat for aquatic insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife that feed on them. (See how much of the Broad Branch stream has been lost to development.)

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 27th , join your neighbors and staff of DDOE on a tour of the project area and learn about the changes you can expect. We’ll meet at 36th Street and Nevada Avenue.

The tour will also include information on the restoration of a small stream that runs between 33rd Street, Broad Branch Terrace, Linnean Avenue, and Fessenden Street. The DDOE is currently monitoring this stream in preparation for a restoration project scheduled for early 2014.