Work On Buried Streams Moving Along

by Marlene Berlin

Things are starting to move on both the Broad Branch stream daylighting and the Linnean Playground water rehabilitation project. You may have seen the piles of mulch suddenly appearing and now these boulders at Linnean and Broad Branch.

These are both water projects under the auspices of DDOE (District Department of the Environment). The need for three entities to collaborate – DDOE, National Park Service, and the Peruvian Embassy – has slowed the construction timetable, but they are ready to move.

Steve Saari, DDOE’s Broad Branch project manager, reports on the-long awaited construction process for both his project and Suzy Wald’s at Linnean Playground:

“Some work for the Broad Branch and Linnean Park efforts is under way. We don’t yet have an official date for the start of construction because there are one or two bureaucratic issues still to resolve, but we are close enough that we are allowing the contractor to start stockpiling stone materials that will be used in the restoration at the site.

“Although still separate projects, there will be some merging of work between the two sites. For example, some of the stone being stockpiled for the project may be stockpiled at both sites and/or may be used at one or both sites. Additionally, once we start excavation at Broad Branch, we may stockpile some of that soil at the Linnean Park site for use there.

“As soon as I have a firm start date for the project, I will let you know and will distribute flyers in the neighborhood.”