Stream Restoration Exhibit, Walk, and Talk

Stream Restoration Exhibit, Walk, and Talk
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Noon–3:30 p.m.
Location: Starts at Reston Museum, Lake Anne Plaza

Join Mike Rolband of Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc (WSSI), for a walk and talk focusing on the next phase of the stream restoration program in Reston. The Reston Museum exhibit will show the importance and benefits of restoring streams in Reston and the progress of how streams are being restored. In addition, the exhibit will feature models representing an impaired urban stream and a restored urban stream.
At 1 p.m. visitors can join WSSI staff for a stream walk to view Reston streams pre- restoration near Hickory Cluster and post-restoration at 2 p.m. near The Glade Fire Ring.

For more information, contact Bethany Bezak at bbezak@wetlandstudies.com or call 703-679-5646.

Please share this notice with your neighbors!
Thanks,
Nicki Foremsky
Watershed Supervisor
Reston Association
703-435-6560
Nicki@reston.org

Hickory Cluster Proposed Stream Restoration

At Saturday's Hickory Cluster Annual Meeting, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. made a presentation specific to our portion of the planned stream restoration project.

The proposed stream restoration will be paid by the Friends of Reston Fund administered by RA and thusly offers many free benefits for HC.

• Stream erosion problem will be corrected.
• Exposed sewer manhole will no longer be exposed.
• Exotic invasive plants in project area will be removed.
• Duck pond will be dredged. (Stream restoration may help restore the pond from a stagnant pool to a healthy ecosystem.)
• A new foot bridge will be built.
• New plantings of all native species will replace vegetation and trees removed. (see presentation pdf below for plant list.)

Hickory Cluster Easements Required
Two special HC easements will be needed for work to start on the restoration project. Both easements require a 60% of total residents "yes" vote.

Trees
On hand at the meeting was a 10 page handout of a draft Hickory Cluster Tree Inventory. Wetland Studies completed their tree inventory over the last few months (silver tags signify trees included in the survey.) Of the 517 trees included in the inventory, the project would require the removal of 114 most of which are sapling-small trees (97). 15 medium trees (18"-29") and two large trees (30"+). Wetlands Studies will replant trees and other vegetation with native species when work is complete.

The HC board will schedule walk-through(s) with Wetlands Studies folks for those interested in seeing what would be restored and which trees would be removed.

PDF of the Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. 5/22/10 presentation.

RELAC Rate Increase Hearing 5/3/10

The Fairfax County hearing addressing the proposed RELAC/Aqua Virginia rate hike occurred on May 3rd, 2010. Thank you to those who were able to attend the meeting and share comments & concerns with the State Corporation Commission.

If you did attend the meeting, you are encouraged to comment to this post (all others welcome too, of course). Below is a link to the HC president's comments presented at the hearing.

Comments of HC president Fred Schwartzendruber presented at the hearing.

Happy Spring 2010

Thanks to Robert Anderson for sharing a few Spring shots taken around HC as Spring sprung.

HC Annual Meeting at RCC/LA: May 22, 2010 at 9am

RELAC Start Time 2010

Note From Aqua Virginia...

With the steamy forecast for the weekend, we have the opportunity to utilize the changesyou have suggested for starting the system. I wanted to let you know that we have started circulating chilled water. From what I have heard, Vantage Hill is currently not receiving chilled water, they have been doing maintenance to their system and plan to turn their valves on Monday. We have been checking the mains and bleeding air from the system but there may still be some work to do. We would expect that by day end (5/1) that all areas should be receiving chilled water. Any customers who are having issues can call our customer service at 877-987-2782 to set up an appointment with a technician.

Gregory Odell
Chief Operating Officer
Aqua Virginia, Inc.