Reedy Creek Coalition

June 6, 2012 6-7pm

Presented by: Clean Virginia Waterways and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Registration Fee: $65 per rain barrel
Location: Forest Hill Park (The Stone House)
4021 Forest Hill Avenue, Richmond, VA

Why Rain Barrels? Rain Barrels can be placed under
your down spouts to capture roof runoff. The water stored in the
rain barrel can be used to water gardens or lawn. Rain barrels
can also help control stormwater runoff, which causes erosion
and degrades our streams.
Benefits. Although rain barrels are available at
garden stores, they are not cheap! During the workshop
you will learn how to install and maintain your rain barrel,
plus about your role in water conservation and water
quality protection. Learn how you impact the Chesapeake
Bay and other waterways. You will leave the workshop
with a pre-made rain barrel that was once a pickle barrel.
Note: this is not a “hands-on” workshop.

How do I sign up?  Download registration form from: http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/rainbarrels.htm
Limited enrollment — sign up today!

Need more information?
Please call 434-395-2602 or send an email to
cleanva@longwood.edu.

What Is Streamwalking and Why Do We Do It?

When we walk the length of a stream, inspecting the banks and streambed for signs of erosion and pollution, we call that “streamwalking.”

All along the banks of an urban stream such as Reedy Creek are stormwater discharge outlets.  When a stream has been set in concrete (“channelized”), as has Reedy Creek, discharge pipes are built directly into the concrete walls.  Normally these should discharge water during storm events but be dry in dry weather.  When we streamwalk, we look for pipes that for some reason are discharging water even in dry weather.  This can happen because of cross connections of sanitary pipes to stormwater pipes or from infiltration of sewage from old, leaking sanitary sewer lines.

In January 2011 the Reedy Creek Coalition began a series of streamwalks along the entire length of Reedy Creek and some of its tributaries.  On our first such walk we discovered a large stormwater pipe that was actively discharging in dry weather, with the discharge emitting a strong sanitary sewage odor.

RCC Member Bill Shanabruch Inspecting a Pipe Emitting a Discharge in Dry Weather

This past October, Environmental Studies students from Randolph Macon College followed up these observations with Coliscan tests. Their results for the pipe with a strong sanitary sewer odor showed E. coli levels approximately 40-fold higher than the water quality standard of 235 colony-forming units per 100 ml. Within days, Richmond DPU discovered a damaged sanitary sewer line nearby and repaired it.

We hope you can help conduct additional streamwalks along Reedy Creek. On Saturday, June 9, we will meet at Miles Jones Elementary School (200 Beaufont Hill Drive, Richmond, Va) at 9:00 am.

Learn about the rain gardens and “green street” innovations at Capitol Square that will reduce stormwater runoff and keep our waters clean.  Richmond Tree Stewards is hosting a tour of Capitol Square on Saturday, April 28 from 10 AM to 12 PM.   Additionally there will be a tour of the beautiful trees of the Square.  This tour should be of interest to anyone interested in modern techniques for stormwater management. We have only an hour in Capitol Square, though the walk will  go a bit longer on the sidewalk outside Capitol Square to look at the “green streets” installation along 9th Street.

Meet at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square at 10 AM.  Click here for a Google Map showing the location of the Bell Tower.

The fastest and cheapest place to park is on the streets. Spaces should be plentiful on a Saturday morning. Take some change as there are meters, but enough quarters for two hours will buy all the time you need.  The east-west streets of Franklin (one-way headed toward the Capitol) and Grace (one-way going away from the Capitol) are your best bets, but the north-south streets have parking too. Most of the streets in this area are one-way but they are on a grid so you can circle around pretty easily.  The parking garages in the area are costly and not as close as the street parking, and the city lots off Broad Street are super expensive, so do go for street parking.

Join us at the Reedy Creek Coalition meeting on May 1st to learn how you can have a RiverHero Home! The James River Association’s River Hero Homes program is a way to recognize homeowners who are successfully taking steps to improve water quality by reducing the amount of stormwater and pollution leaving their property.  Becoming a River Hero Home is a simple way to help protect the James River.  Depending on where you live, becoming a certified River Hero Home may also help you qualify for stormwater rebates or credits offered by your locality. This also ties in with our Homeowner Audit and Financial Incentive Programs.

When: Tuesday, May 1st at 7pm

Where: Stone House at Forest Hill Park

Project Clean Stream is an annual stream and shoreline cleanup coordinated by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and partnering watershed organizations. Our goal is to have 5,000 volunteers at 200 sites throughout the Bay Watershed pick up a total of 5,000 lbs of trash.  You can be a part of this huge effort by joining us on April 14th to clean up Reedy Creek in Forest Hill Park!

When: April 14, 2012 – 9:00am rain or shine.
Where: We will meet at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park and will be cleaning up the portion of Reedy Creek that’s in the park.
To sign up: Click this link: Volunteer for this site!

Please bring waders if you own them. Some will be provided along with gloves, bags, etc.

Hope to see you there!

Stream Cleanup

Are you interested in learning what you can do at your home to help protect the Reedy Creek watershed? Have you heard of rain barrels, rain gardens, or BayScapes, but aren’t quite sure where to start on your property?  Join us on Tuesday, March 6th at 7pm at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park to learn how you can receive a free audit which evaluates your property and offers tips on reducing stormwater runoff.  Also, in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a Financial Incentive Program provides financial assistance to those who want to implement the practices recommended in their audit report.  More details will be provided at the meeting.

We hope you can join us on Tuesday, March 6th at 7pm at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park.  Refreshments will be provided, so please RSVP to Anna Mathis at amathis@allianceforthebay.org.

Auditors at Work

Help restore Forest Hill Park’s old Azalea Gardens with Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Reedy Creek Coalition, and Friends of Forest Hill Park. Volunteers will be planting and mulching bare root seedling trees. Don’t worry, instruction for proper planting will be provided.  Volunteers will help spread mulch as well.   The long term goal is to increase the tree canopy and reduce soil erosion.  We will remove English ivy if there is time left after completing the tree planting/mulching tasks.

To volunteer or if you have questions, please reply below.