Saturday: Arlington E-CARE

Arlington County hosts an event every year called E-CARE that allows residents to recycle, donate or dispose of odd items -- everything from computers to eyeglasses to paint. Get all the details on what, where & when at the Arlington Department of Environmental Services website.

More Oil Runoff Problems at Metro's Ballston Bus Lot

Remember Metro's Ballston bus lot? The one that had oil runoff problems? Well, they're not getting better. In fact, they might be getting worse. Here's a picture from July:

Heavy rains had washed oil and trash from the lot out one corner and into the grass between the sidewalk and the street, then into the street. There had been a tree at that corner of the grass, but it's long since died and been removed. Gee, I wonder why?

The only oil collection method in that corner are some curb-high white tubes. I sent the above picture to Metro asking what they were doing to reduce the oil runoff but never heard back, so I sent the picture to Arlington's Department of Environmental Services.

Magically, the next day the corner looked like this:

It's a miracle! Everyone stand up and shout hallelujah! The oil-soaked grass had been replaced, the sidewalk had been washed, and you can see new white oil-collecting tubes next to the wheels of the bus.

Wait.

Worst miracle ever:

The new grass is oil-soaked and trash-covered again. And when the remains of Tropical Storm Hanna come through this weekend, I'm sure the lot will get a nice power-washing -- with the wastewater going right out the corner of the lot into the storm drain, where it will go straight into an Arlington river or stream untreated, like all of Arlington's storm drain runoff.

Metro's feeling seems to be that since the bus lot will shut down anyway in March to make way for a major redevelopment of the block, it's content with what it considers stopgap measures. But as the continuing oil runoff problems show, that gap ain't gettin' stopped. It's up to Arlington DES to decide if and how the problem should be addressed.

Upgrades to Help Clean Arlington's Waterways

Major upgrades are underway at the Arlington Wastewater Treatment Plant. You can read more details and view photos at the Arlington County Dept. of Environmental Services website. Not a sexy subject, but once the upgrades are complete, they'll really improve the water quality in Arlington's rivers and streams!

Update on Newly-Discovered Four Mile Run Pollution Issues

Here's the update I got from Aileen at Arlington County's Department of Environmental Services ...

I will try to check it out, although it does sound like the iron oxidizing bacteria that we see occasionally in the County streams. I was able to click on the pictures and see them up close. The iron is dissolved in the groundwater, and it oxidizes as it enters the stream along the edge of the stream. You can see that in the picture. Although there is also a large puddle of up on the bank too. The “oily” sheen is from the bacteria that oxidize the iron. They look very much like oil, but one way to differentiate them from an oil slick is to stir them up with a stick. The bacteria will break up into clumps, and oil would just swirl around on the surface of the water.

There is some information about the iron bacteria at the bottom of each of these pages:

Stream pollution information

Stream photos

I will check with the Fire Dept. and will stop by and check it out as well. I’ll let you know what I find out!

Here's the relevant paragraph from the stream pollution information page on "red-orange" discolorations ...

Filmy deposits on the surface or banks of a stream are often associated with greasy "rainbow" appearance of iron bacteria. This is a naturally occuring phenomenon where there is iron in the groundwater. However, a sudden or unusual occurrence may indicate a petroleum product release from an underground fuel storage tank. One way to differentiate iron-oxidizing bacteria from oil releases is to trail a small stick or leaf through the film. If the film breaks up into small islands or clusters, it is most likely bacteria. If the film swirls together, it is most likely a petroleum discharge.