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Takoma Playground
301 Van Buren St NW,
Washington, DC 20012
The Takoma Playground and Recreation Center is located on 23 acres in the Piney Branch watershed of Rock Creek. The Takoma project area is approximately 1.6 acres in size and located in the northwest corner of the parcel. The project area is an upland wooded slope that drains towards a playground site with stormwater management practices. At the very top of the project area was a matrix of eight concrete shuffleboard courts that were no longer being used. The soils on the site were sandy and compacted as is typically the case with District soils. There is an abundant and mature tree canopy on site which provides wonderful shading but discourages turf grass growth.
In addition, the site was overly maintained with mowing occurring in portions of the site without substantial turf cover that would necessitate it. As a result, the stormwater and sediment from the wooded area was impacting public space and the playground area including the downstream BMP. The loss of soil and nutrients would have ultimately contributed to the failing of the canopy trees on the site.
DOEE in partnership with DPR and DGS oversaw the restoration of this site. The objectives were to:
- Reduce unnecessary impervious cover,
- Break up long flow paths to allow water to infiltrate into the existing soils,
- Stabilize the existing soils so they stay on site, and
- Protect the existing tree canopy on site.
As can be seen from the photos below, this project significantly reduced the sediment leaving the site and entering our waterways.
To learn what else DOEE is doing to address sediment pollution from parklands, check out the Perfecting Percolation in District Parklands project.