Alexandria will take the public’s pulse next month on an ongoing plan to restore a major watershed and add new flood protections, a need made more apparent after devastating storms last year swamped the area.
The $5 million joint study with the Army Corps of Engineers and Fairfax County will examine the Cameron Run-Holmes Run Watershed, which encompasses mostof Alexandria.
While the study was commissioned before floodwaters reaped millions of dollars in damage last summer in the city and nearby parts of Fairfax County, it does address how to provide “adequate, cost-effective flood protections” for communities near Cameron Run, according to project documents.
Part of the study will examine how to reduce the harm done by an increased number of “impervious” surfaces, like parking lots, that speed runoff into the local waterways.
“It’s a challenge because we’re a very urban area with a lot of impervious coverage. One of the big challenges is just the sheer quantity of water” running in streams, said Bill Skrabak, division chief for environmental quality with the Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services.
The study will also focus on how to improve water quality and habitats of aquatic animals and plants.
The informational meeting will be held Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library at 4701 Seminary Road.
