At Four Mile Run, Restoring Nature

Plan to Tranform Waterfront Comes With Sticker Shock

Is it possible to turn back the clock? And how much should be spent to do it?

About 250 years ago, the stream known as Four Mile Run, the waterway that divides Alexandria and Arlington, was at the center of a broad flood plain, a wetland with an abundance of plant and animal species.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the waterway was a popular area for recreational boating and fishing.

But as development brought office buildings, railroad lines and residential subdivisions to the area, the stream became polluted, and asphalt and cement replaced the natural surroundings and tidal pools. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the area was racked by flooding, attributed largely to urbanization. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused $14 million in damage and devastated the Arlandria area. Residents had to be plucked out of the rising waters by rescue boats.

Arlington and Alexandria officials looked for a technological solution to the flood threat. A $63 million project, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1980, eliminated the flooding danger. It has been a success on that front.

The flood abatement was accomplished, however, by clearing vegetation from the area and turning the river into an unsightly concrete drainage ditch. Since then, trash and debris dumped alongside the waterway have made the vista even more unattractive. A bike trail winds along Four Mile Run from the Arlington Water Pollution Control Plant near South Eads Road through Potomac Yard, passing under decrepit-looking railroad bridges and highway overpasses.

"Aesthetically, it's pretty challenged down there," said Aileen Winquist, an Arlington County planner.

Now, with the flooding danger gone, politicians and community activists hope to restore the stream's natural beauty. They envision the return of native plants and wildlife and the addition of basketball and tennis courts and community gardens. The waterway could be made beautiful, and should be, they say.

"It's our waterfront," said Judy Guse-Noritake, an Alexandria resident and co-chairman of the city-county Four Mile Run task force.

The problem is that it will cost more than $260 million to complete the work, according to government officials. In March 2006, Arlington and Alexandria officials adopted a plan that would allow them to undertake the project, and they produced a colorful brochure that laid out the concept to help residents visualize what Four Mile Run could look like. But even as they approved the project, many of the elected officials blanched at its cost. Alexandria Vice Mayor Redella S. "Del" Pepper quipped that the price had knocked her unconscious. More than a year later, officials are still mulling the cost.

"The price tag is huge," said Jim Pebley, an Arlington planning commissioner. "Right now, it's not the prettiest thing in the world, but with all the expenses we've got, is this the best thing? The little man in the green eyeshade in me says, 'Ouch! Where will we get that money?' "

The money is trickling in. Last month, Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) announced that his proposal to appropriate $700,000 for a federally funded project review by the Corps of Engineers had been approved. That brings total federal spending on the Four Mile Run restoration to $6.7 million.