At nearly 1,200 acres, Biscuit Run is the largest park in Albemarle County, featuring more than eight miles of trails and one very unusual stream. It cut deep into the land, eroding its banks and flooding areas downstream, but over the last few years the county has been building small dams -- using soil, tree limbs and other natural materials to create 35 ponds.
"We’re building in the stream dams like a beaver would do, so we’re blocking the flow, creating pools behind that dam, and we’re doing a series of these," says Greg Harper, Chief of Environmental Services on the project.
He explains that the dams will help clean a polluted stream and force storm water to spread out, rather than flooding nearby neighborhoods.
"These beaver dams are going to trapping sediment and pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorous, and it will also allow during storm events the water to come out of the stream and flood the nearby flood plain."
The project cost about $2 million, half provided by the state, and Harper hopes to get some free help with these new structures.
"We knew that beavers exist in the park, so we’re hoping they’re going to discover the work that we’ve done and kind of maintain what we’ve started."
To entice those critters, the county is offering free lunch.
"We are planting some vegetation that would be attractive to the beavers, that they could munch on."
The site should also appeal to those who enjoy fishing, but Project Manager Audrey Storm does not advise swimming.
"I think that it will be tempting, but it is definitely not recommended that anybody swim. The depth of some of these pools is up to ten feet, and so they look very inviting, but they are definitely a hazard, especially if you don’t have swimming, life-saving abilities and then recognizing that there are a lot of trees and limbs and things that are shoved in, in order to help prevent that -- there could be some additional hazards associated with it."
In addition to its scenic and recreational value, the newly improved stream could prove a plus in the event of a forest fire on this heavily wooded site. Kip Moomaw is principal engineer for ecosystem services.
"There’s a lot of research in how beaver dams and this type of system can help provide a fire break. It can be a refuge for wildlife during those events."
Eight more dams will be built this fall. Experts hope they will increase the diversity of wildlife and plants in the Biscuit Run Valley.
