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
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
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.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Happy Spring 2010
Thanks to Robert Anderson for sharing a few Spring shots taken around HC as Spring sprung.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
RELAC Meeting Notes
Notes on RELAC meeting at RA, March 22, 2010
The Reston Association hosted a public meeting on Monday evening, March 22nd 2010, to give RELAC customers an opportunity to meet with staff of the Fairfax County department which deals with utilities and cable companies to discuss the proposed RELAC rate increase. The county staff participating in the meeting are attorneys and utility specialists with considerable experience (though not experienced on district A/C, which is highly unusual) and their names and contact information have been posted on this blog. Please feel free to contact them direct to express any views you have regarding the RELAC rate increase.
As you know, several months ago Aqua Virginia filed a rate increase proposal with the State Corporation Commission in Richmond, which regulates utilities in Virginia. The average increase Aqua is asking for RELAC customers is about 56% over existing tariffs, which have not been changed since Aqua bought the company. The documents filed with the SCC indicate that RELAC is steadily losing money and a significant increase is needed to keep RELAC solvent. We were aware of their intent to file for an increase, as the General Manager of Aqua VA, Greg O'Dell, had met several times with a group of affected cluster presidents during the past year and mentioned that they were planning to request a “long overdue” rate increase.
At last Monday’s meeting, County staff explained that they were asked to become engaged in this case in response to concerns expressed by residents on the RELAC system. They have reviewed the materials provided by Aqua as part of the filing, and will be going to Richmond to participate in the April 20 hearing in front of an SCC examiner, and will present the County's views on the requested increase. The County has also arranged with the SCC to hold a second hearing in northern Virginia for the convenience of residents unable to go to Richmond. That meeting will be on the evening of May 3 at 7pm in the Fairfax Count Govt. Center. The Commissioners will review the transcripts of the two hearings prior to making their decision: in other words, the Richmond meeting is not “more important” than the Fairfax meeting and no decision will be made until after both have taken place and all oral and written comments have been reviewed. Aqua's management will only be present at the Richmond hearing, so anyone who is anxious to hear them in person would need to travel to Richmond. Speakers at the Richmond meeting will be under oath, and the County attorney will have the ability to cross-examine Aqua’s team in Richmond.
Based on their analysis of the RELAC accounts, the County staff feel that a slightly lower increase would be justified, since there were a couple of items included by Aqua in the rate calculation which the staff believe should not be included. However, the difference is actually quite small, and the bottom line is that County staff currently believe that RELAC will not be financially viable without a significant increase in revenues. Their analysis does not address the question why Aqua didn't apply for smaller increases before they got into such a deep hole, but simply arises from analysis of operating costs and revenues reported by Aqua.
A number of points were raised after the County staff had completed their explanation, on topics such as the future viability of RELAC, the possiblity of conversion to geothermal cooling, Aqua’s stated desire to sell RELAC in order to get out of the A/C business, asking RA to allow pilot projects to test alternatives, whether shortcomings in RELAC service are inherent in the nature of the system or due to poor maintenance by homeowners, etc. On most of these the County staff had no answers, but urged citizens to express their concerns on the record so that the SCC commissioners have a clear picture of the views of consumers before they rule on a rate increase. Dick Kennedy of Waterview Cluster asked whether service standards could be better defined and enforced, since much of the debate about RELAC is between people satisfied with present cooling service and others who are not, without much data available to inform the debate. The tariff as presently worded is not very clear on the definition of acceptable service (whether water temperature is measured at the plant or at the home, how much flow is required in order to provide adequate cooling, etc.). The County staff answered that this would be an important topic to raise for the commissioners.
In my view, this is probably the most important point coming out of Monday’s meeting: We can’t expect the SCC to engage on topics such as geothermal alternatives or to help Aqua look for a potential buyer. But we could reasonably request them to sharpen the definition of “acceptable service,” and to direct Aqua to introduce a monitoring program which establishes whether this regulated utility is meeting its legal obligation as a precondition for any rate increases.
-Fred Schwartzendruber
The Reston Association hosted a public meeting on Monday evening, March 22nd 2010, to give RELAC customers an opportunity to meet with staff of the Fairfax County department which deals with utilities and cable companies to discuss the proposed RELAC rate increase. The county staff participating in the meeting are attorneys and utility specialists with considerable experience (though not experienced on district A/C, which is highly unusual) and their names and contact information have been posted on this blog. Please feel free to contact them direct to express any views you have regarding the RELAC rate increase.
As you know, several months ago Aqua Virginia filed a rate increase proposal with the State Corporation Commission in Richmond, which regulates utilities in Virginia. The average increase Aqua is asking for RELAC customers is about 56% over existing tariffs, which have not been changed since Aqua bought the company. The documents filed with the SCC indicate that RELAC is steadily losing money and a significant increase is needed to keep RELAC solvent. We were aware of their intent to file for an increase, as the General Manager of Aqua VA, Greg O'Dell, had met several times with a group of affected cluster presidents during the past year and mentioned that they were planning to request a “long overdue” rate increase.
At last Monday’s meeting, County staff explained that they were asked to become engaged in this case in response to concerns expressed by residents on the RELAC system. They have reviewed the materials provided by Aqua as part of the filing, and will be going to Richmond to participate in the April 20 hearing in front of an SCC examiner, and will present the County's views on the requested increase. The County has also arranged with the SCC to hold a second hearing in northern Virginia for the convenience of residents unable to go to Richmond. That meeting will be on the evening of May 3 at 7pm in the Fairfax Count Govt. Center. The Commissioners will review the transcripts of the two hearings prior to making their decision: in other words, the Richmond meeting is not “more important” than the Fairfax meeting and no decision will be made until after both have taken place and all oral and written comments have been reviewed. Aqua's management will only be present at the Richmond hearing, so anyone who is anxious to hear them in person would need to travel to Richmond. Speakers at the Richmond meeting will be under oath, and the County attorney will have the ability to cross-examine Aqua’s team in Richmond.
Based on their analysis of the RELAC accounts, the County staff feel that a slightly lower increase would be justified, since there were a couple of items included by Aqua in the rate calculation which the staff believe should not be included. However, the difference is actually quite small, and the bottom line is that County staff currently believe that RELAC will not be financially viable without a significant increase in revenues. Their analysis does not address the question why Aqua didn't apply for smaller increases before they got into such a deep hole, but simply arises from analysis of operating costs and revenues reported by Aqua.
A number of points were raised after the County staff had completed their explanation, on topics such as the future viability of RELAC, the possiblity of conversion to geothermal cooling, Aqua’s stated desire to sell RELAC in order to get out of the A/C business, asking RA to allow pilot projects to test alternatives, whether shortcomings in RELAC service are inherent in the nature of the system or due to poor maintenance by homeowners, etc. On most of these the County staff had no answers, but urged citizens to express their concerns on the record so that the SCC commissioners have a clear picture of the views of consumers before they rule on a rate increase. Dick Kennedy of Waterview Cluster asked whether service standards could be better defined and enforced, since much of the debate about RELAC is between people satisfied with present cooling service and others who are not, without much data available to inform the debate. The tariff as presently worded is not very clear on the definition of acceptable service (whether water temperature is measured at the plant or at the home, how much flow is required in order to provide adequate cooling, etc.). The County staff answered that this would be an important topic to raise for the commissioners.
In my view, this is probably the most important point coming out of Monday’s meeting: We can’t expect the SCC to engage on topics such as geothermal alternatives or to help Aqua look for a potential buyer. But we could reasonably request them to sharpen the definition of “acceptable service,” and to direct Aqua to introduce a monitoring program which establishes whether this regulated utility is meeting its legal obligation as a precondition for any rate increases.
-Fred Schwartzendruber
Trail Safety News & Information
NEWS FROM RA COMMUNICATIONS DEPT.
Two announcements addressing the recent safety concerns and Reston trail scare.
Reston Trail Safety 3/17/10 Incident Report
Fairfax County Announcement
Two announcements addressing the recent safety concerns and Reston trail scare.
Reston Trail Safety 3/17/10 Incident Report
Fairfax County Announcement
Voluteers Needed for Watershed Project
Reston Association has a program to mark storm drains with tags indicating which watershed they drain to and asking people not to dump there. This is a chance for young people to earn community service credits for school and contributes to our environmental awareness.Please contact:
Nicki Foremsky
Watershed Supervisor
Reston Association
703-435-6560
Thursday, March 25, 2010
RELAC Rate Increase Meeting with Fairfax County Staff on 3/22/10
RELAC customers met with Fairfax county staff at Reston Association headquarters on Monday evening March, 22, 2010.
RELAC Rate Case no. PUE-2009-00129
SCC home Page
The RELAC case has not been heard yet but an interim rate increase was granted by VA to effect customers beginning with the 2010 season. Notification was sent to all customers in January detailing the rate increase. Should RELAC lose their case, they will be required to reimburse customers for the rate increase.
Fairfax County staff working on the case:
Marilyn McHugh, Assistant County Attorney
Steve Sinclair, Chief, Public Utilities Branch, Department of Cable and Consumer Services, 703-324-5955
Susan Hafeli, Utilities Analyst, Public Utilities Branch, Department of Cable and Consumer Services
RELAC Rate Case no. PUE-2009-00129
SCC home Page
The RELAC case has not been heard yet but an interim rate increase was granted by VA to effect customers beginning with the 2010 season. Notification was sent to all customers in January detailing the rate increase. Should RELAC lose their case, they will be required to reimburse customers for the rate increase.
Fairfax County staff working on the case:
Marilyn McHugh, Assistant County Attorney
Steve Sinclair, Chief, Public Utilities Branch, Department of Cable and Consumer Services, 703-324-5955
Susan Hafeli, Utilities Analyst, Public Utilities Branch, Department of Cable and Consumer Services
Important dates coming up...
April 8
RELAC rebuttal deadline to answer concerns already addressed to them by Fairfax County.
April 13
Deadline for all written comments to be submitted. Online Submission Link Case #PUE-2009-00129
April 20
Initial hearing in Richmond, VA. RELAC will be make statements and be cross examined... Public statements welcome.
May 3
Public hearing at Fairfax County Government Center, Conference rooms 2 & 3 at 7pm. Public statements welcome.
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