Project Links
Repairs to Canal Prism and Canal Berm at Chain Bridge
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park » Repairs to Canal Prism and Canal Berm at Chain Bridge » Document List
The National Park Service, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, has issued a special use permit to Fairfax County, Virginia Department of Public Works to make repairs to the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Chain Bridge, mile 4.17 of the park.
On March 12, 2006, a public water main, located at Chain Bridge, ruptured and caused extensive damage to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park's canal prism and berm. Damage included scouring of earth away from the berm embankment under the bridge. Also, a significant scour hole was created within the canal prism. This section of the C&O Canal is operated as a fully watered section of the park.
The National Park Service worked with Fairfax County, Arlington County, District of Columbia, DCWASA and others to develop plans to address the physical repairs of the park. The work will remove eroded sediment deposits within the canal prism and install clay as a waterproof lining for the canal. The eroded canal embankment will be rebuilt to appropriate historic dimensions. The work will be conducted by the Fairfax County contractor, and will be monitored by the park's engineering department. Repairs are scheduled to begin Fall 2008.
The park's Interdisciplinary Team reviewed the project for impacts to natural and cultural resources. The project does not pose any serious or long-term effects to the environmental, historical, cultural, archeological, or visual resources. It meets categorical exclusion #C.4 – Routine maintenance and repairs to cultural resources sites, structures, utilities, and grounds if the action falls under an approved Historic Structures Preservation Guide or Cyclic Maintenance Guide, or if the action would not adversely affect the cultural resource.
The project also meets the National Historic Preservation Act/Section 106 Programmatic Agreement, Exclusion #IV.B 9 – Rehabilitation work limited to actions for retaining and preserving, protecting and maintaining, and repairing and replacing in kind materials and features, consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the accompanying guidelines.
On March 12, 2006, a public water main, located at Chain Bridge, ruptured and caused extensive damage to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park's canal prism and berm. Damage included scouring of earth away from the berm embankment under the bridge. Also, a significant scour hole was created within the canal prism. This section of the C&O Canal is operated as a fully watered section of the park.
The National Park Service worked with Fairfax County, Arlington County, District of Columbia, DCWASA and others to develop plans to address the physical repairs of the park. The work will remove eroded sediment deposits within the canal prism and install clay as a waterproof lining for the canal. The eroded canal embankment will be rebuilt to appropriate historic dimensions. The work will be conducted by the Fairfax County contractor, and will be monitored by the park's engineering department. Repairs are scheduled to begin Fall 2008.
The park's Interdisciplinary Team reviewed the project for impacts to natural and cultural resources. The project does not pose any serious or long-term effects to the environmental, historical, cultural, archeological, or visual resources. It meets categorical exclusion #C.4 – Routine maintenance and repairs to cultural resources sites, structures, utilities, and grounds if the action falls under an approved Historic Structures Preservation Guide or Cyclic Maintenance Guide, or if the action would not adversely affect the cultural resource.
The project also meets the National Historic Preservation Act/Section 106 Programmatic Agreement, Exclusion #IV.B 9 – Rehabilitation work limited to actions for retaining and preserving, protecting and maintaining, and repairing and replacing in kind materials and features, consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the accompanying guidelines.