The Broad Branch stream restoration began in February, and Linnean Playground project started a few months later. Now, both projects are nearing completion, and a date has been set – to celebrate.
Steve Saari manages both projects for the District Department of the Environment, and he has an announcement to make:
Oct. 18th Grand Opening of Broad Branch and Linnean Playground Streams Restoration
On Saturday, October 18th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Forest Hills Connection and the District Department of the Environment will host a grand opening event for the community. There will be brief remarks by dignitaries, some ceremonial tree planting, a demonstration of stream monitoring by District youth, and a tour of the project area.
Over the last seven months, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) has been working to restore these two streams. The Broad Branch had been piped for over 70 years, and the Linnean stream that had become highly degraded due to high volumes of stormwater coming from rooftops, driveways, sidewalks and roadways. The work on these two projects is substantially complete, with the bridge taking Broad Branch stream under 36th Street now open.
The Broad Branch now flows under 36th Street. The stream once flowed through a pipe here, and the area under the bridge had been bricked up.
There’s only one major task remaining: the completion of a culvert to carry one of the streams across Linnean Avenue.
Filled Broad Branch stream pool west of Linnean.
Broad Branch stream heading east to Linnean.
Currently, there is a temporary culvert installed across Linnean with steel plates in place over the pipes. That work should be completed by the contractor as soon as permitting agencies sign off on a change to the design of the culvert, which takes the location of water and gas lines into consideration.
Pipes awaiting Broach Branch stream.
In addition to this major task, the contractor has to complete a “punch list” of smaller corrections to the projects before they will be entirely done.
Since this time of year is generally considered to be the driest, parts of the stream may be dry except during rain events. However, DDOE expects that as the water coming into the area raises the ground water table, the stream will have flow throughout its length 365 days a year. Let’s hope that we get a long soaking rain prior to the event so that water will be flowing along the entire stream!
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Leonard Friedman says
Thank you for the article but the pictures don’t tell me much about what is the goal of the project. Also it shows a lot of debri/trees in the water. What will the finished project achieve and what will it look like?
Tracy Johnke says
Hi Leonard! The goals of the Linnean and Broad Branch projects include slowing and filtering the rush of polluted stormwater before it reaches Rock Creek. Erosion has also been a problem along the streambeds being restored.
We’ve done a lot of articles on the project, but for a sense of what they’ll look like once the plants have regrown and nature has taken over, see the first: https://www.foresthillsconnection.com/news/a-stream-runs-under-it-restoring-the-broad-branch-tributary/
And here’s an example of how the project at the Linnean Playground is already working as planned: https://www.foresthillsconnection.com/news/how-the-rebuilt-linnean-playground-stream-handles-a-deluge/
Colette Marquez says
HI,
it looks great on paper, so far I have only seen small pools of stagnant water. Perfect breeding grounds for huge mosquito populations as well. Will anything be done do mitigate the mosquito and tick problem? Many of our neighbors have already resorted to mosquito squad and other services to combat the issue, I am worried we will now see more of this.
Steve Sawyer says
Thanks for the updates on the project.
One major question: Has the piped spring that starts up behind Politics and Prose been unleashed to enter the prepared stream bed? I understood that there should at least be a slow, but constant trickle through the system.
Tracy Johnke says
Yes, that first photo above is where the stream used to enter a pipe. . You can see the “before” here.
Teresa Duncan says
Where will the Grand Opening Event take place on Sat Oct 18 11:00 – 1:00?
Tracy Johnke says
We finally have an answer: Top of Linnean Stream near the corner of Broad Branch Terrace and Fessenden Street.
Teresa Duncan says
Great. Thank you.