March 24 - Thunderstorms last night, water is backed up again.

The national weather service shows we had .17 inches of rain overnight.  The storm drain on Wetherburn is now flooded with water again.  We only saw the ground for less than 24 hours.  Fairfax County came out today again to look at the drain.  I didn't see any clearing going on, just looking.   I just took a few pictures and it is just below the 50 year mark and it sounds like the water is flowing, so this is an improvement from a few days ago.  I am concerned with all of the debris floating around the drain which will likely obstruct it again soon.

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March 23 - You can see the ground today

Fairfax County came out yesterday and cleared the drain and removed some of the debris.  Today you can see the ground for the first time all month.  A few things I am noticing are there is still a lot of debris on the drain and around the drain.  I also see how shallow the creek is, it almost doesn't seem to be a creek at all since there are no "walls".  The walls may have eroded over time, or maybe it was designed to this way.  I am not sure.  With the next rainfall, this will become clogged again with leaves, pine needles, pine cones, branches everything you see around the drain.  Fairfax County has not come back today, but I hope they are planning to come back soon to evaluate the structure and plan for a better solution.  Also the cleanup of fallen tree's is still outstanding as there are still multiple trees around the drain and on the path to the drain. 

March 22 - Fairfax County came today

There was some cleanup on the storm drain today.  The county came out for a few hours and cleared the drain at the 50 year mark and removed some trees on the opposite side of the drain.  This is good progress and I hope to see them out tomorrow to finish the job.

 

 The 50 year mark is now cleared.  Water is flowing.  I hope to see the 25 year mark tomorrow.

 

Below is the tree removal they did today on the opposite side of the drain.  I would like to see fallen tree's removed in front of the drain to reduce the debris that clogs the drain.

From Stillfield Drive, the path is now clear and that is an improvement. Wetherburn Drive is still completely  obstructed with fallen trees.

March 21 - Thunderstorm this morning

There was a thunderstorm this morning.  The water has not disappeared in the last 15 days.  FIFTEEN DAYS!  It hasn't even come close.  I haven't seen the 25 year mark since the beginning of March.  Here are the pictures I took today.  As time allows I will continue to take daily pictures.  I called Fairfax County Storm Water Management today to see if they can come back out and clear it.  Last time, it may have been too deep for them to service.  It's not much better today, but they have to do something.

  Again I have 3 goals for starting this blog.

1) Fairfax County should repair, replace the storm dam/drain so that water will drain within 3 days.
2) Environmental - Fairfax County should take care of the watershed and make it a place where tree's can survive.  I would like to see the fallen trees cleared and replaced with trees that can handle saturation.  I would be happy for some type of cleanup to occur in the watershed.
3) Mosquitoes - Fairfax County should treat this area for Mosquitoes until the dam/drain can be repaired or replaced.  The mosquito infestation in this area is horrendous and is a huge health threat to all residents of Centreville. 

March 15, 2011 - Taking a break for a few days

I have a conflict over the next few days and will not be able to post any pictures.  Here is what the water looked like today.  It is still right over the 50 year mark.   I am very thankful that it is not mid July, or we would be infested with Mosquitoes again.  I am hopeful that Fairfax County can find a resolution to this storm drain by the time Mosquitoes start hatching.

March 14, 2011 - Water still over the 50, more ducks and geese

Geese walking down to the water.

 Water is still flowing over the 50 year mark.  I am starting to wonder if we will ever see the 25 year mark again.

March 13, 2011 - Water is still standing over the 50 year mark

Ducks and Geese have now started wading in our little "pond".  The water is still flowing over the 50 year mark.