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Wednesday, September 25, 2013
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Abatement complete, sewage stench scrubbed along canal n
Sewer authority using fans to try to eradicate smell BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
It’s taken 14 years, but now runners and bikers along the C&O Canal can inhale the scent of honeysuckle instead of the stench of sewage, thanks to the odor
abatement facilities finally completed this spring by the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. The odor abatement project, which began in 1999, aimed to ameliorate the stink of a 50-mile sewer line, called the Potomac Interceptor, that runs through multiple jurisdictions and carries an average of 65 million gallons of wastewater per day. The 84-inch-wide pipe was built in the early 1960s with vents
that released hydrogen sulfide, a gas that can corrode the inside of the pipe and also is the source of the bad smell. Through the years, residents in Washington, D.C., and Loudon County, as well as in Montgomery County, have complained. Whit Overstreet lived near Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac for a few years and often could smell the sewage as he rode his bike to work.
cilities in Montgomery County: one at the Little Falls pumping station in Bethesda, one off Clara Barton Parkway in Cabin John and one across from Old Angler’s Inn. Two more are in Virginia and WASA opened one at Fletcher’s Boathouse in Washington, D.C., this past June. The facilities use fans to pull gases out of the sewer, run them
“There were a couple spots where it was always really bad, like Carderock,” said Overstreet, a program manager at Potomac Riverkeeper, a nonprofit dedicated to halting pollution in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers through enforcement and community engagement. “It was an awful smell intruding on an otherwise wonderful, natural experience.” Now there are three operating fa-
See SEWAGE, Page A-8
GREAT FALLS TAVERN
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Runners enjoy a late summer day Friday as they use the towpath along the C&O Canal near the Great Falls Tavern in Potomac.
Park After Dark N on Saturday BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
ot often is it desirable to have a perfect storm and an outdoor fundraiser on the same day, but for the C&O Canal Trust, it’s all good. The perfect storm in this case is the historical significance of Sept. 28, the day the trust is holding its annual Park After Dark fundraiser at Historic Great Falls Tavern in Potomac. “This is the 75th anniversary of public ownership of the C&O Canal. It
PARK AFTER DARK
n Park After Dark will be held from 6-11 p.m. Saturday at Historic Great Falls Tavern, 11710 Mac Arthur Blvd., Potomac. Tickets are $175, of which $125 is tax deductible. For more information visit www.parkafterdark.org or call 301-714-2233.
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FUNDRAISER HAS 1930S THEME
Friendship Heights park will be an urban oasis $6 million project will have lighted brick paths, moveable furniture, Wi-Fi n
BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
A 1.9-acre lot near Friendship Heights is now officially named Western Grove Urban Park, according to a motion passed by the Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday.
The park is bounded by Grove Street, Western Avenue, Chevy Chase Land Co. and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once completed, the $6 million park project will be a respite from the stresses of urban life, said Greg Osband, a landscape architect with A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc. The urban oasis, within sight of the Friendship Heights Metro station, will feature lighted brick paths, gardens, a natural play area for children and moveable furniture, as well as Wi-Fi ac-
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cess, Osband said. Public entryways on Western Avenue and Grove Street will be marked with stone and wood arbors, he said. The project, a joint venture between Chevy Chase Village and Montgomery County Parks, is expected to cost about $1 million, said Linda Komes, a landscape architect with the county's park development division. The annual operating budget is expected to be about $55,000, she said.
See OASIS, Page A-8
is also National Public Lands Day. And Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel will be attending, a perfect storm for [a great event],” said Michael Nardolilli, president of the C&O Canal Trust, the official nonprofit partner of the C&O Canal National Historical Park. The trust has an agreement with the park to work on improving the visitor experience, raise money for specific projects and to raise awareness of the park and all it has to offer, Nardolilli said. This weekend’s event, the third Park After Dark, will be held under a tent on the grassy area outside the tavern. The
See PARK, Page A-8
Advocates continue call for school holiday closures Students, others face hard decision on Muslim holy days n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Standing in front of the Montgomery County Council Office Building in Rockville, Northwest High School senior Anhar Karim said he is
one of many students in the county who have faced a hard decision related to two Muslim holidays. Karim said that when a holiday conflicts with school, he can either celebrate and miss class or go to school and miss the celebration. “We are forcing our students into an unreasonable decision,” said
See CLOSURES, Page A-8
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GAZETTE HEALTH Special Women’s Issue What would you do if you found out you had the ‘breast cancer gene’? One woman tells her story. Plus: why women lose their hair; the latest on the risks and benefits of aspirin; the value of vitamin D
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