Comments at Arlington County Board Meeting, March 19, 2022.
At a recent Maryland Sierra Club meeting Ken Bawer gave a presentation: “The Greenwashing of Stream Restorations”.
Bawer summarized the reasons he opposes this destructive practice as follows:
- “Stream restorations” don’t restore streams either physically or biologically. They import foreign material, and destroy riparian ecosystems that can’t be recreated by re-planting trees.
- “Stream restorations” don’t address the root cause of stream bank erosion namely, fire-hosing stormwater into streams from impervious surfaces such as roofs and roads.
- Clearcutting even impaired forests as collateral damage to do a so-called “stream restoration” won’t work. In fact there is ample evidence from around the region that these so-called “stream restorations” get destroyed by future storms.
- The way to “fix” streams is to control stormwater by using out-of-stream practices such as raingardens, bioswales, permeable pavement, and tree planting.
As for the notion that streambed restoration is needed to get federal MS4 permits, Bawer says there are dozens of other ways to meet MS4 permit requirements using non-destructive out-of-stream practices like those described above.
Alexandria is no longer pursuing “stream restorations” for Taylor Run and Strawberry Run. Not so Arlington County, which recently doubled down on the practice by clearcutting more than 80 trees from the site of Donaldson Run Tributary B off Military Road in North Arlington.
So why should you care? So-called “Stream restorations” are a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. They destroy tree canopy in your neighborhood and increase the heat island effect, degrade your quality of life, and erode the value of your property. Stand with the other residents in the County who reject this destructive practice. Say no to the Board’s misguided policy on this important issue.