The following information was provided by Masaya Maeda of the Anacostia Watershed Society.
AWS has decided to conduct a SCA (Stream Corridor Assessment) survey on the Northwest Branch and has already conducted it on a small portion of the stream. We would like to identify environmental problems such as eroding stream banks, inadequate stream buffers, exposed pipes, altered stream channels, fish migration barriers, pipe outfalls, in-stream construction sites and trash dumping locations along the branch. The major findings will be reported appropriately. The data will be also used to raise people's awareness of stream problems and eventually it will be incorporated into WRAS project by State Government.
These sites are in Hyattsville along a side branch that runs under Chillum Road into NW Branch.
Site # 205109D represents for sites of 205109, 205110, 205111, and205112.
Survey Date: 12/22/2004
Site 204107 Exposed Pipe
This pipe is severely exposed. All exposed pipes should be buried as soon as possible.
However, WSSC says they cannot do that. They repair the pipe if it is broken, but they usually don't take preventive action.
The pipe material is metal, so it may be a sewer pipe or water supply pipe. Since the pipe is large, I suspect that it is a sewer pipe.
The pipe is partially undermined. The diameter is approximately 10 inches. The length exposed is approximately 60 feet.
Site 205103 Erosion Site
This site is severely eroded due to storm water runoff. The height is about 9 feet, and the length of the erosion site is about 140 feet.
The abandoned pipe (picture 205103-1) in the stream is a storm water pipe. These sites (away from people's eyes) tend to be left out of restoration efforts.
Site 205104 Erosion Site
A long section of the stream bank is eroded. The approximate length is 430 feet and the approximate height is 9 feet.
Site 205106 Exposed Pipe
This site has already been reported as Breaking News. The disconnected pipe in the Picture 205106-1 is away from its original position.
One end of it (about 1 foot or more) is buried in the sedimentation indicating the pipe had been discharging for a long period, even months or years.
The case was reported to WSSC and repaired temporarily. A permanent repair is expected soon.
205110 Channel Alteration (see #205109D in the map for the location)
Colored section of the stream in the map was channelized with concrete.
This is also a fish barrier since almost no fish can swim in such a shallow stream.
Some portions of the stream have an inadequate riparian buffer.
Some Good News
M-NCPPC has been conducting a restoration effort on Slico Creek and Northwest Branch.
This covers some problems identified by the SCA survey on Sligo Creek by AWS.
Incidentally, there is no relationship between the NW Branch SCA survey and this restoration.
