Shopping Carts, Tires, Jungle Gym Pulled from Creek Cleanup
By Mary Ann Barton, Patch Staff
Apr 11, 2016 6:05 pm ET
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- This past weekend, Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36th) and Del. Paul Krizek (D-44th) held their 2016 Little Hunting Creek Cleanup near Richmond Highway in the Lee District.
Dubbed "Fairfax County's Trashiest Stream" in 2007 by Fairfax County Government, the stream is a repository for lots of trash, litter and foreign objects.
In coordination with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek, Surovell and Krizek were able to host three cleanup sites in the Hybla Valley area:
Janna Lee Avenue Bridge
Mount Vernon Shopping Plaza behind the Shoppers and Post Office
Creekside Village Apartments
Volunteers collected more than 1,800 pounds of trash and 115 trash bags, netting more than 10,000 pounds of trash collected since Senator Surovell, with help from the Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the Alice Ferguson Foundation, began organizing this event six years ago.
This year, volunteers found a variety of interesting items that included:
10 shopping cart
Three dozen balls
13 car tires
One mannequin leg
Two toy children's cars
One air conditioning unit
Two folding chairs
Four bicycles
One small animal skull
One propane tank
One child's lounge chair
With the assistance of Robert O'Hanlon's tree service, the cleanup volunteers were able to extract 10 grocery carts from the Janna Lee Avenue site, bringing the total to 196 shopping carts pulled from this watershed in the past four years. The shopping carts extracted this weekend were from Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway and Michaels. These carts, along with other large items, led to a build-up of trash in the stream and impeded water flow.
Additionally, O'Hanlon and his crew were instrumental in removing large, steel jungle gym that was disposed in the woods by Stony Brook Apartments on Buckman Road who has refused to clean it up, according to organizers of the cleanup. The jungle gym was located five years ago, but was unmovable due to erosion and its weight. By using a blow torch, O'Hanlon and his team were able to slice up the 600-pound metal play set and dispose of it piece-by-piece. A steel merry-go-round is still in the woods.
Surovell said: "I would like to personally thank everyone who came out to volunteer this weekend. While it was snowy and rainy in the beginning, it was inspiring to see such a turn out from the community. I would like to send a special thank you to the Friends of Little Hunting Creek President, Ms. Betsy Martin for providing the cleanup supplies for this event. Without her, this would not have been possible. I am also disappointed that that trash and especially illicit shopping carts continues to plague this community after four years of attention. No one seems willing to address this eyesore."
Krizek also mentioned how impressed he was at how many people from the community and surrounding neighborhoods volunteered their time on a cold, snowy morning to participate in the annual Little Hunting Creek cleanup. "It was a testament to our community and neighbors of the Creek that so many people value this natural resource," he said.