Stafford Drive Stream Restoration

The north fork of Accotink Creek between Plantation Parkway and Ranger Road Park, known locally as the Stafford Drive stream, is in bad shape. Over the years, fast-flowing stormwater has scoured the stream bed away and incised the streambanks, creating steep cliffs that prevent water from reaching the floodplain. Healthy, mature trees are collapsing into the stream due to severe erosion, and sediment washed downstream is burying aquatic habitat.

Many common questions about stream restoration are answered in our FAQ.

This project will restore nearly a half mile of the Stafford Drive stream. Natural Channel Design principles will be used to stabilize the stream to prevent further erosion and reconnect the stream to the floodplain. Natural materials incorporated in the design, such as rocks and logs, will slow down rushing stormwater. A natural meander, a feature of stable streams, will be created throughout the stream valley.

A preliminary design has been completed and we have developed a design that saves as many trees as possible within the project area.

Background

The Stafford Drive stream was identified as a high priority for restoration in the 2007 Accotink Creek Stream Stability Assessment. The $2.3 million project was approved in the FY21 budget and included in the FY2022-26 Capital Improvement Program. The design is 60% complete. A Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) grant application was submitted in October 2021 to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The city received notification in January 2022 that this project had been selected for SLAF grant funding, and $1,175,000 in matching state funding has been authorized for this project. The grant funds will cover half of the project’s estimated costs.

The city’s Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) action plan is designed to reduce excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and total suspended solids (loose sediment caused by erosion). Stormwater management projects like the Stafford Drive stream restoration help achieve these reduction targets.

Stream restoration projects repair years of unintentional abuse, restore ecological functions in the stream valley, create wildlife habitat, and improve water quality.

Supporting documents are available on this page.

1. View the presentation from the Dec. 12, 2023, city council work session. (Start at 2:28:55.)
2. View the presentation from the May 11, 2023, meeting.
3. The Stream Restoration Design Alternatives Memo includes:
   1. Pros/cons of design options. Design option 1 was selected following discussion with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. This option was viewed as a balance between saving trees and the impacts to hydraulics, construction costs, and future maintenance costs.
   2. Appendix B (pages 13-16) shows the trees saved by the three design alternatives that were considered. Design option 1 saves 42 trees.
   3. Appendix D (pages 33-48) provides the tree inventory, identification of existing dead/dying/diseased trees, and a table with the species/size/condition of each tree.
4. View NVRC's stream restoration handout to learn how and why municipalities restore streams.