Watershed Management Plan
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CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA Watershed Management Plan City of Falls Church Department of Public Works Prepared with assistance from Adopted February 27, 2012 AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA Watershed Management Plan Adopted February 27, 2012 City of Falls Church Department of Public Works 300 Park Avenue | Falls Church, Virginia 22046 www.fallschurchva.gov Prepared with assistance from AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. 14428 Albemarle Point Place | Chantilly, Virginia 20151 www.amec.com (703) 488-3700 City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan was developed with the assistance and guidance of the City of Falls Church Watershed Advisory Committee (WAC). The following individuals and organizations contributed their time, knowledge, and energy in developing this final plan: Member Association/Organization Nader Baroukh ..................................................... City Council Melissa Teates ...................................................... Village Preservation and Improvement Society Charles Wallace ................................................... Business Maureen Budetti................................................... Academia Vigdis Jacobsen ................................................... Cherry Hill/Winter Hill Heidi Schooner..................................................... Gresham Place Dennis Szymanski ................................................ Hillwood Avenue Richard Strong ..................................................... Sherrow Avenue David Thirkill....................................................... Steeple’s Court Michael Bear ........................................................ Bishop’s Court John Maier ........................................................... At-Large Jason Douglas ...................................................... At-Large Bob Young ........................................................... Development Community Bill Schellstede .................................................... Environmental Service Council Gerard Mene ........................................................ Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Paul Cannon ......................................................... Chamber of Commerce Barry Buschow..................................................... Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (Board) Karle Mohle ......................................................... Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (Staff) Rob Meeks ........................................................... Planning Commission The City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan project team consisted of the following individuals: William Hicks ...................................................... Director of Public Works, City of Falls Church Jason Widstrom .................................................... Civil Engineer, City of Falls Church Kathy Allan .......................................................... Environmental Programs Specialist, City of Falls Church David Bulova ....................................................... Project Manager, AMEC Troy Biggs ........................................................... Senior Water Resources Engineer, AMEC Jean Haggerty....................................................... Senior Planner, AMEC Policy of Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability The City of Falls Church does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its employment practices or in the admission to, access to, or operations of its services, programs, or activities. Cindy Mester, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 has been designated to coordinate compliance with the ADA non- discrimination requirement. Acknowledgements City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1. Introduction and Purpose .............................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Watershed Management Plan Goals and Process ............................................................ 1-1 1.2 Description of Watersheds and Summary of Major Issues .............................................. 1-3 1.3 Watershed Management Organizational Structure .......................................................... 1-5 1.4 Previous Studies and Plans .............................................................................................. 1-6 2. Summary of Watershed Conditions .............................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 Watershed Monitoring and Modeling Data ..................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Impacts of Impervious Surface Cover ............................................................................. 2-7 2.3 City of Falls Church Stream Assessment ......................................................................... 2-9 2.4 Recommendations and Monitoring Options .................................................................. 2-15 3. Regulatory Drivers and Analysis of City Policies and Ordinances 3.1 Major State and Federal Regulatory Drivers ................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Analysis of City Policies and Ordinances ........................................................................ 3-2 3.3 Policy and Ordinance Recommendations ...................................................................... 3-19 4. City Watershed Management Programs ....................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Summary of Watershed Management Programs ............................................................. 4-1 4.2 Program Recommendations ............................................................................................. 4-5 5. Watershed Management Strategies 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Watershed Management Techniques ............................................................................... 5-1 5.3 Problem/Opportunity Identification and Initial Prioritization.......................................... 5-6 5.4 Project Rankings ............................................................................................................ 5-22 5.5 Project Data Sheets ........................................................................................................ 5-28 6. Funding Options ........................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.1 Overview of Current Program Costs and Revenue .......................................................... 6-1 6.2 Revenue Needs ................................................................................................................ 6-3 6.3 Funding Methods and Revenue Generating Capacity ...................................................... 6-5 6.4 Funding Recommendations ........................................................................................... 6-12 Appendices A. Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................... A-1 B. Stream Reach Field Investigation Sheets ..................................................................................... B-1 C. Monitoring and Assessment Options ........................................................................................... C-1 D. Virginia DCR Review of the City’s Floodplain Overlay District ................................................ D-1 E. Center for Watershed Protection Codes and Ordinances Worksheet ........................................... E-1 F. City-Wide List of Problem Areas ................................................................................................. F-1 G. Project Investigation Forms ......................................................................................................... G-1 H. Chesapeake Bay TMDL Compliance Scenarios .......................................................................... H-1 Table of Contents TOC-1 City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan Table of Contents TOC-2 City of Falls Church Watershed Management Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Falls Church is divided into two local watersheds, Tripp’s Run and Four Mile Run, both of which are important to the character and quality of life of the City and ultimately affect the health of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. This Watershed Management Plan is the result of a nearly two year long citizen-led process designed to create a roadmap for (1) reducing flooding to improve safety and protect property, (2) restoring and maintaining a healthy local aquatic ecosystem, and (3) cost-effectively complying with state and federal water quality and stormwater management regulations. The plan builds on previous watershed studies and supports the City Council Vision and Long-Term Strategic Plan objective to “Adopt and implement best practices in watershed management to improve community water quality.” Key Decision Making Factors Three key factors provided focus for the development of this plan and for prioritizing strategies and recommendations. These factors include: (1) new state and federal mandates that will require significant additional investment in stormwater infrastructure; (2) deficient existing City infrastructure