damage – Black and White

Monacan Bulldozer

Bulldozer in the foreground, Monticello in the background, floodplain in between.

There’s lots of things that we can do with engineering, with big machines and modern equipment. I mean, there are lots of things that one could do.
And so we do have the ability to build up the soil and help create an island, an elevation that will then put a structure that is out of the 100 year floodplain. That’s true.
We also could pipe the creek and pave it over and then we wouldn’t have to have a buffer. You could actually get a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to do things like that.

But should we?

That’s where I’m coming from. The 100 year floodplain has a very important hydrologic function in allowing, during a storm, as a water is rushing down, because it has this area it spreads out and dissipates the energy of the water and then some of that sediment load actually drops out in that slower water at the margins. That’s why floodplain soils are so rich, that’s why people like to farm them, because it’s some of the best soil, because that’s where those floodwaters dissipate and lose their energy.
When you constrict the area that the water is flowing through it goes faster. So on a large scale, looking at the whole area, I understand what Mr. Pohl is saying and I understand what Timmons has said, that this will not raise the elevation of the flood overall.

But I’m also looking at this from two perspectives; one is death by 1000 paper cuts, which is all the little fills cumulatively altogether, I don’t have the confidence that we’re looking at it from that perspective.
The other aspect is, again, what I just said about floodplains. They have a purpose and we really should not build in the floodplains. Albemarle County is actually more restrictive; we don’t let you put subdivisions in the floodplains.

You know, our neighbors in Charlottesville allowed a development of housing in the floodplain through an area which I used to kayak when the water was up.
And too bad for those folks when we get another big storm.
I believe very strongly and I have a 35 year career in floodplain and watershed management, and so I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep people out of floodplains.

I would also suggest to you that the zoning, yes is from 1997. But in our comp plan, never mind the park thing for a moment to my commissioner at the other end of the dais, they’re not suggesting this become a park necessarily, but it’s designated as green system because the county did go along and say all of these floodplains, we’re going to call them green systems.

Don’t always think of the Earth as just a place where we are going to recreate or not recreate. There are other ecological functions that are going on there for biota, for salamanders, for all kinds of other critters that are also under our stewardship.
Where I’m coming from is I’m not in favor of allowing fill in the floodplain.

I think that zoning can be old, zoning can be wrong. Zoning can be a bad idea. I think this zoning is outdated. I agree with Lonnie. There are a lot of a lot of reasons why we developed along rivers, that was because that was a transportation system. We had to move goods on the Rivanna. We put goods on batteaux on the Rivanna and sent them down to Richmond. So you know, there’s a lot of reasons why people develop near rivers, also for water supply.

But today, putting industrial along our rivers is also a bad idea. So I don’t think the zoning is good. We’re not here tonight to decide about the zoning, we are here to decide whether you think it’s OK to fill in the floodplain. And I’m going to stick with the comprehensive plan. I think it was wise to say that this is a green system and I don’t care if no one ever recreates in it. So that’s where I’m coming.

I have a lot of hydrologic reasons and ecological reasons for the way that I am presenting my position tonight. I don’t think we’re getting a huge return for allowing this site to become this industrial use by getting it out of the floodplain. That’s it.
I will now step down off my soapbox and yield to my colleagues.–Karen Firehock April 22, 2025 Albemarle County Planning Commission

Earth Day

This afternoon the Albemarle County Planning Commission will discuss SP202400026, a request to grade and fill in the floodplain. Those interested in the physical and cultural landscape of central Virginia, consider attending the meeting and providing feedback.
https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/j/81459650960
Webinar ID: 814 5965 0960
1-312-626-6799
1-877-853-5247 (Toll Free)
Press # to enter the meeting without a Participant ID.
Webinar ID: 814 5965 0960

Happy Valentines Day!

Roses in February in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly around Valentine’s Day, often come with significant environmental costs due to the region’s cold climate and the need for importation or energy-intensive cultivation. Here’s a breakdown:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Importation:
Most roses available in February are imported from warmer regions like South America (e.g., Ecuador, Colombia) or Africa (e.g., Kenya).
Air freight, the fastest way to transport fresh flowers, generates high carbon emissions. For example, flying roses from Colombia to the U.S. can produce up to 3-4 kg of CO2 per dozen roses, depending on the distance and transport method.
Refrigerated storage and shipping (to maintain freshness) further increase energy use.
Energy-Intensive Greenhouse Production:
If grown locally in the Northern Hemisphere, roses require heated greenhouses due to cold winter temperatures.
Heating greenhouses with fossil fuels (e.g., natural gas, oil) emits significant CO2. For instance, producing a dozen roses in a Dutch greenhouse can emit 2-3 kg of CO2 if heated conventionally.
Artificial lighting to mimic longer daylight hours also adds to energy consumption.
Water and Pesticide Use:
Rose cultivation, especially in large-scale farms, is water-intensive. In water-scarce regions like parts of Kenya, this can strain local water supplies.
Pesticides and fertilizers used to grow perfect, pest-free roses can contaminate soil and waterways, harming ecosystems and local biodiversity.
Packaging and Waste:
Roses are often wrapped in plastic sleeves, packed in cardboard, and shipped with cooling materials, contributing to waste.
Much of this packaging is single-use and not biodegradable, adding to landfill burdens.
Land Use and Deforestation:
Expanding flower farms in exporting countries can lead to deforestation or conversion of agricultural land, reducing habitats for wildlife and affecting local food production.
Social and Environmental Trade-Offs:
While flower farms provide jobs, the environmental costs (e.g., water depletion, pesticide exposure) often disproportionately affect local communities in producing countries.
Mitigation Options:
Buy Locally or Seasonally: Opt for locally grown, seasonal flowers when possible, though options are limited in February.
Choose Certified Roses: Look for certifications like Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance, which promote more sustainable practices.
Reduce Demand for Perfection: Accepting minor imperfections can reduce pesticide and energy use.
Consider Alternatives: Potted plants or dried flowers have lower environmental impacts.
In summary, the environmental costs of February roses in the Northern Hemisphere are primarily tied to high-emission transportation, energy-intensive greenhouse production, and resource use in cultivation, with broader ecological and social impacts in producing regions.–Grok

Healy Pass

incident at the parking lot

something fell down

Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)

pano of the Rivanna River January 10, the left side of frame is looking downstream toward Monticello, the right side of frame is the view upstream.

(if the photo is too small there is video)

7. Since 2006, RWSA, the City, and ACSA have worked together to conduct flow studies, analyze flow data, assess wet weather limitations, calibrate a transmission system computer model, forecast future dry weather flows through land development projections and identify inflow and infiltration reduction goals across all sewer collection systems connected to the Facility. The goal of these projects is to assure adequate capacity in the transmission and treatment systems with emphasis on addressing unpermitted discharges. The three entities are working cooperatively to upgrade their respective sewer collection systems.

Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 5:53 PM To: Council
Cc: tfrederick@rivanna.org

Dear Councilors,

December 8, during RWSA’s presentation on the Rivanna Pumping Station, I asked Mr. Frederick how much it would cost to repair the inflow and infiltration problems that affect our waste water system (by system I meant all waste water pipes that connect to RWSA’s waste-water treatment plants).

As I understood his response, to get to the optimal industry standard practices fix of our waste water system would cost $400 million, this is the fix where there is still I&I but it is substantially reduced. To actually fix the pipes (make them water-tight, no one does this), would cost around two billion dollars.

Rivanna runs a system, hydration and sanitation. Alas, I can’t think of an apt analogy. My not so accurate way of thinking of it…

“It is like a car. The input side, the water supply, is the gas. Water supply speeds up the economy, we can hook up houses, hook up businesses. The safety side, the sanitation, is like the brakes. The waste-water (output) side must collect and treat the effluent from these houses and businesses.”

Our region has spent a great deal of time/money studying the input side. It is my impression that we have spent less time studying the output side. If I understood Mr. Frederick correctly, a detailed study of the waste-water side would take ten years to perform. The RWSA board in the past (2005) approved an evaluation of the waste-water side, but it’s my impression that that evaluation was not equal to a detailed study.

To me, it makes sense to repair the sanitation side in lock-step with increases on the water-supply side, like balancing a budget. Hope this will happen as we move forward.

Does the 25% I&I reduction by 2020 to which we (RWSA, ACSA, CHO Public Works) have committed achieve that balance?

Thanks,

Bill Emory Charlottesville VA 22902

Changeless change

Chesapeake MIR — Yesterday I listened to a portion of a discussion from 2012 with NDS regarding the future of our neighborhood. Discomfort was expressed. Who knew what the future held? AI, MIR, DZO, Cville Plans Together. We had zero expectation of the rezoning of modest homes.

<span style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" data-mce-type="bookmark" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> "Since the city and consultants first introduced the Future Land Use Map in 2021, right up until the most recent pop-ups held by consultants and NDS on the Draft Zoning Ordinance (DZO), residents have asked for visualizations of what actual Charlottesville streetscapes could look like under the new regulations. Neither the city nor its consultants have obliged. We believe that while visualizations do not function as arguments for or against the DZO, they are an indispensable tool for residents trying to form an opinion on various aspects of the proposal. We have therefore prepared several simulated visualization of specific blocks in Charlottesville -- both to provide the tools that residents asked for and didn't get and to show that there was no difficulty involved in preparing visualizations that could have reasonably prevented a competent consultant or NDS department from providing them. You can find the videos below. We anticipate the we will add more over time. If you have an area for which you'd like to see a visualization, please reach out to us via email. Please bear in mind that the purpose of the videos is to help give viewers a concrete sense of height, massing and coverage. These are not architectural renderings or surveys and are necessarily approximate. We do not suggest that the generic 3D models we used are predictive of the architectural styles developers would use or that the blocks we simulate are more likely than others to be redeveloped."--A Nonymous