From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray joined officials from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and DC Water today to mark a major step in an ongoing flood-mitigation project in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods, and to urge residents to take preventative steps to protect their property in advance of summer storms that may cause flooding.

“Today is another step forward for the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods, which historically have suffered through significant flooding during large storms,” Mayor Gray said. “We have already implemented several immediate efforts to mitigate the flooding, and are implementing longer-term solutions to ensure that these neighborhoods do not continue experiencing repeated street flooding and property damage due to heavy rainstorms.”

Next week DDOT will begin a construction project to install a five-foot-wide storm sewer line in the median of the 100 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. This project, which will last three months, will help remove stormwater from the roadway and store it before slowly releasing it into the sewer system.

“When it rains, community members in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park have historically had to worry about flooding,” said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy. “Today we’re taking a major step forward in addressing this problem.”

Throughout the last century, the historic Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods have experienced occasional street flooding and sewer backups during intense rain storms. Last year, however, four major thunderstorms caused repeated flooding and prompted officials to take a closer look at what District agencies and property owners could do to protect property. Mayor Gray appointed a task force last August to study the problem and recommend solutions.

“Last summer we had more intense rainstorms with flooding than in the previous 10 years combined,” noted DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. “We began investigating right away and joined the city task force to investigate creative solutions. This year we want to be sure everyone is aware of both what we are doing and what property owners can do to minimize flooding during heavy rains.”

City Administrator and DC Water Board Chair Allen Y. Lew added, “The ultimate engineering fix is coming in 2022 with the massive Clean Rivers Project, but in the meantime we identified a number of actions that can help these neighborhoods.”

The Mayor’s Task Force on the Prevention of Flooding in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park issued a final report earlier this year. It found that these neighborhoods, which were developed at the turn of the 20th century when sewage conveyance was a relatively new concept and the population was less dense, were suffering from a sewer system that was simply too small to accommodate today’s needs. The report included 25 recommendations to mitigate flooding, including short-, medium- and long-term solutions in the following categories: engineering, regulatory, code revision and operation and maintenance components.

Short-Term Solutions

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Now that the cherry blossoms are no longer in full bloom – Red buds are my second favorite. They were bursting all over town. This one’s from outside the House of Sweden in Georgetown.

And these turtles were chilling by the creek right next to House of Sweden.

Cleveland Park above, Georgetown below. And every neighborhood I walked through in between had phenomenal scenes of beauty. Finally Spring has arrived!

Thanks to Paul for sending the beautiful photo taken last night.

Petworth 8:30am

Feds and DC offices are closed! Schools are closed.

Meridian Pint (11th and Park Rd, NW) tweets:

“It is official! Brunch time! See you at 10am for food specials CH!”

If you know of/hear of other spots open today please add in the comments.

So have fun today! And if you take good pictures be sure to send a couple my way by email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail, or upload to the PoPville flickr pool, or send to @PoPville on twitter. Looking forward to seeing what today will bring!

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From DDOT:

The District Snow Team (Department of Public Works and the District Department of Transportation) will deploy about 230 plows citywide starting tonight at 11 pm. Forecasters predict rain Tuesday evening, followed by a rain/snow mix after 11 pm. Heavy, wet snow is expected to start falling in time for Wednesday’s am rush hour. The forecast calls for a total of six inches of snow and precipitation should end Wednesday night. Temperatures will hover in the low 30s.

“We may see heavy snow falling throughout Wednesday, so both am and pm rush hours will be critical periods for traffic safety,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. “Additionally, we urge commercial and residential property owners to clear their sidewalks of snow within 24 hours after the storm ends. While the Snow Team is taking care of the streets, we need property owners to handle the sidewalks so pedestrians can travel safely.”

Director Howland said that this storm probably not disrupt trash and recycling collection schedules, mechanical street sweeping will be suspended because the same employees who sweep the streets drive snow plows.

To track the plows, go to snow.dc.gov and click on http://snowmap.dc.gov/.

I’m starting to notice a lot of blooms around town.

@DCRA tweets this incredible video footage:

“Today’s the 91st anniversary of the roof collapse of the Knickerbocker Theater in Adams Morgan; 98 people were killed.”

Chris from Mt. Pleasant writes:

“How cold is it? I’ve never seen ice hockey on rock creek!”

Photo by PoPville flickr member JustifiedAncient

Excitement is starting to build about the possibility in my snow loving house. The Post’s Capital Weather Gang report:

The compact storm will have plenty of moisture with it. The big questions for our area are: 1) how far north will the precipitation shield get? and 2) will it extend far enough north to deliver moderate to heavy snow? If the latter occurs, accumulating snow becomes likely and roads during Thurday afternoon’s rush hour could become slick and hazardous.

From AlertDC:

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 17, 2012, although the federal government will be OPEN, employees of federal agencies in the Washington, DC area will have the OPTION for UNSCHEDULED LEAVE or UNSCHEDULED TELEWORK.

This is due to the Winter Storm Watch that the National Weather Service has issued for the DC Metro Area for tomorrow. Anywhere from 1-5″ of snow are expected tomorrow, primarily in the afternoon and early evening. Please stay tuned into TV, radio, or Alert DC for further updates, as this forecast is expected to be fine-tuned tonight and tomorrow morning, and it is possible that the federal government could close early tomorrow if necessary.

From DPW:

The DC Snow Team (Department of Public Works and District Department of Transportation) goes into a full deployment Thursday, January 17 with more than 200 plows on their routes by 9 am. Weather forecasters predict the storm will start as a rain/snow event then change to all snow in the afternoon. Possibly 3 to 5 inches of wet snow can accumulate before the storm ends around midnight. The high temperature is expected to be 38F and the low 31F and Friday is expected to be sunny with a high of 37F and a low of 29F.

“We want people to be aware that the change to snow probably will occur just before the afternoon rush hour,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. “Everyone should be aware of the conditions and listen to the media for messages that might be issued by the federal and local governments regarding when to report to work and possible closures.”

To track the plows, go to snow.dc.gov and click on http://snowmap.dc.gov/.

Snow Safety and Preparedness Tips: People driving, walking or bicycling around the District should travel cautiously. Property owners are asked to pre-treat their sidewalks with abrasives and remove snow within 24 hours of the end of the storm, and assist their elderly or disabled neighbors with clearing their sidewalks. Also, for our drivers’ safety and yours, “Don’t crowd the plow.” Residents are encouraged to go to snow.dc.gov for updates before, during and after snowstorms, and for tips to get one’s home and family prepared for inclement weather. Residents also may sign up at alert.dc.gov to receive emergency alerts and notifications from Alert DC.

On Saturday, it was incredible to see so many people eating/brunching outside in the middle of January.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From DDOT:

In anticipation of a winter storm predicted for this weekend, the DC Snow Team (Departments of Public Works and Transportation) will deploy 200 snow plows by 4 am on Saturday, December 29 and will pre-treat bridges, overpasses and other elevated structures with a brine and beet juice solution to reduce the possibility of freezing. The weather services predict about 1 inch of snow to accumulate in the District during the pre-dawn hours and then mix with rain after 9-10AM.

“The 200 plows will begin spreading salt on DC streets, including 82 residential routes once snow begins to fall,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. “The system is fast moving and is expected to leave the area by 3-4PM Saturday. We will monitor storm conditions to determine what, if any, changes should be made in our deployment plan. The temperature is expected to be just above freezing during the day on Saturday, but will drop below freezing Saturday night; therefore, motorists and pedestrians should be very cautious as they travel because refreezing may occur.”

To track the plows, go to snow.dc.gov and click here.

Snow Safety and Preparedness Tips: People driving, walking or bicycling around the District should travel cautiously. Property owners are asked to pre-treat their sidewalks with abrasives and remove snow within 24 hours of the end of the storm, and assist their elderly or disabled neighbors with clearing their sidewalks. Also, for our drivers’ safety and yours, “Don’t crowd the plow.” Residents are encouraged to go to snow.dc.gov for updates before, during and after snowstorms, and for tips to get one’s home and family prepared for inclement weather. Residents also may sign up at alert.dc.gov to receive emergency alerts and notifications from Alert DC.

Trash/Recycling Collections: DPW trash and recycling collections will be made Saturday, December 29. “We did not collect trash and recycling on Christmas, so our collections schedule ‘slides’ to the next day and Friday’s collections will be made Saturday,” said Director Howland. He added that next week normal collections will be made Monday, December 31, collections will not be made Tuesday, January 1 and collections through the rest of the week “slide” to the next day.

Thanks to pablo.raw for sending the photo.

Capital Weather Gang tweets:

“Winds gusting to 30-40 mph at 8 am around DC, could increase to 45-55 mph at peak this afternoon!”

Jack writes:

“This happened Sunday, November 2, an enormous tree coming down — soil weakened by the hurricane’s wind and rain, presumably — and blocking all of Porter Street, just on the west side of Rock Creek Park. Two cars were winged, and one unfortunate car took a direct hit. Looks like this Ohio visitor will be needing a new ride home.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user sssdc1

The Ontario building is located 2853 Ontario Road, NW.