Little Hunting Creek Watershed Plan

Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church (MVUC) straddles two sub-watersheds of Little Hunting Creek and its seven acres are at the highest point in the drainage area. As a result, when it rains a large volume of rapidly moving water used to flow downhill from the church property. This runoff erodes habitat in the watershed and delivers pollutants and sediment to local streams and the Potomac River.

 The red arrows represent the flows of the primary watershed, the one addressed by this project. (The flows of the secondary watershed, represented by the yellow arrows, were not addressed because of neighbor opposition.)

Stormwater management practices installed at MVUC feature two rain gardens on one side of the driveway and an inlet structure on the other side. A broad dip at the top of the driveway directs parking lot runoff to the larger rain garden at the top of the driveway. A series of stone check dams channels runoff on the opposite side of the driveway to a new inlet structure connected to the existing storm drain. The driveway was crowned to direct water at the base of the driveway to either the inlet structure or the smaller rain garden located below the large rain garden.

"The county made sure the project design met as much of their watershed protection goals as possible, but they also respected our congregation's values and community process," says Steve Dressing, an MVUC church leader and environmental professional who worked on the project. "Trees are very important to our congregation and the county was able to preserve all of our trees. They were also very responsive when we had questions and concerns from our congregation. The project at MVUC is testament to the county's ability and willingness to work with the community."

In a highly developed area like Mount Vernon, where most of the land is privately-owned, Fairfax County must rely upon partners like MVUC to accomplish the goals incorporated in the Little Hunting Creek Watershed Plan. "MVUC went above and beyond to make this project possible and working with the congregation has been very gratifying," affirms Steve Aitcheson, Director of Stormwater Planning with Fairfax County. "MVUC is clearly a leader in the Mount Vernon area when it comes to environmental issues." To date, the county-funded project at MVUC is the only successful example of a private-public partnership between the county and a faith-based group.

Large rain garden: