Kayak Launch Damaged During August 2 Storms

The Four Mile Run kayak launch was damaged during heavy storms on Sunday, August 2, which caused peak flows of approximately 3,000 cubic feet per second, at around 1pm and again at around 5pm. The cause of the structural failure of the dock, which tore off a portion of the boardwalk and railing, is currently being assessed by engineers. With the exception of one timber piece, the entire launch, gangway, railings, stabilizer arm, and tension cables have been recovered, and repair is expected.

Here is what we know: the launch broke loose around 5:15pm, during the second peak flow, which occurred as the tide was approaching a daily low. It appears that the stabilizer arm and one of the tension cables broke, which allowed the floating launch to swing out into the current, pulling the attached gangway and a portion of the boardwalk away. All the components stayed connected, drifting downstream roughly 800 feet before lodging against the near-shore Route 1 bridge pier.

We have been working with Alexandria City staff, RK&K engineers, and Landivar and Associates to ensure the launch is repaired and appropriately reinforced. We're especially appreciative of Landivar and Associates for the quick, daring, and thorough recovery of the wayward kayak launch components.

Our summer and fall kayak litter clean-ups will continue as scheduled, though it will be necessary to launch from the old unimproved ramp site until the kayak launch is back in operation.

Paddling Update!

We were honored to receive the Governor's Environmental Excellence Gold Award for the kayak launch project at Four Mile Run (see article) -- and with the air and water temperatures rising, we look forward to bringing people out on the water soon.

The grand opening celebration for the kayak launch will be Saturday, May 9, from noon to 3pm, and kayak clean-ups are scheduled for weekends in May and early June:

• Saturday, May 2 @ 2pm
• Sunday, May 17 @ 9am
• Saturday, May 23 @ 9am
• Sunday, May 31 @ 9am
• Saturday, June 6 @ 10am

Kayak clean-up volunteer registration for each event opens 2-3 weeks in advance. We provide kayaks and safety equipment, and/or you can bring your own. Kayak clean-ups are supported by funding from Patagonia Old Town, the Arlington Community Foundation, and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

See you on the water! 

Kayak Launch Construction Complete!

Our project to build a public kayak launch is complete! The fully ADA-compliant boardwalk, gangway, and floating launch platform are an enhancement to Four Mile Run Park, fulfilling the water access goal of the Four Mile Run Restoration Master Plan. The total cost of the project, including design, environmental assessment/permitting, and construction, amounted to $628,652, a heavy lift given that the Foundation’s operating budgets have been under $40,000 each year.

The Foundation engaged Rummel, Klepper & Kahl for the engineering design and environmental assessment/permitting, and Alexandria-based Landivar & Associates as general contractor. Work began in March of this year. Project funding was supported by grants from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Recreational Trails Program, the American Water Charitable Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Chesapeake WILD program, the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways program, and the Community Matching Fund of the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities, as well as through the generous support of local community members.

The kayak launch is open and available for use by non-motorized watercraft. A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony is planned for Spring 2026. 

Habitat Restoration Areas at Four Mile Run

The City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA) has teamed up with the Alexandria Beautification Commission (ABC), Arlington Regional Master Naturalists, and the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation to launch a new habitat restoration pilot in Four Mile Run Park.

For this pilot program, two sections along the park’s forest edge have been set aside as Habitat Restoration Areas (HRAs)—places where nature will be given space to thrive. The project will use both natural regeneration and hands-on planting to restore native plants, improve wildlife habitat, and strengthen the park’s ecosystem.

Four Mile Run is an important part of the Potomac River watershed. Its wetlands and wooded buffers help filter stormwater, provide corridors for birds and wildlife, and add to the park’s beauty. As nearby development grows, this project will help protect these vital natural areas for the future.

City staff and volunteers will work together to plant natives, manage invasive species, and create educational signs, so visitors can learn about the restoration process. Please come out and volunteer! Check the calendar for the regularly scheduled volunteer days, the first Saturday of the month. Look forward to seeing you in the park!

Who’s At Four-Mile-Run Park this Summer?

 

Alexandria Late Risers rowing team in Four-Mile-Run Stream. Photo Credit: Jean Garner

Wait, is that a crew shell in Four-Mile-Run Stream? Yes, and it’s one of the many boats that use the stream for recreational paddling or fishing. As the largest stream flowing through Arlington and bordering Alexandria, Four-Mile-Run attracts a variety of watercraft that, depending on rainfall, tides, and hull depth, can travel as far inland as the intersection with West Glebe Road.

Location of the Washington family’s mill property. Photo Credit: Devry Becker Jones.

Historically, boats, which could get nearly to Shirlington, may have carried loads of grain. During the 18th-19th century, the stream was flanked by multiple watermills for grinding corn and wheat, including several in Arlandria just upstream of Four-Mile-Run Park. George Washington owned land a bit further up at the Run’s confluence with Upper Long Branch Stream. You can see the Arlington Mill marker where Washington’s step-grandson built a mill on the property in 1826.

Deforestation of the original oak hickory forest eventually rendered Four-Mile-Run the site of heavy runoff and devastating floods. After a 1972 flood, the Army Corps of Engineers channelized the stream’s lower half mile for flood control. The channelized portion, bound by cement barriers and riprap, is largely what we see now in Four-Mile-Run Park. The stream topography today is dramatically different from its original form.

With the Potomac River often buffeted by winds and motorboat traffic, Four-Mile-Run stream provides a recreation refuge. Boaters entering the stream from the Potomac must navigate through multiple bridges under roads and railroads. Kayakers who rent boats from the Washington Sailing Marina likewise enter from the river. The low clearance prevents sailboat passage into the stream, but small motorboats enter to fish for largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish.

Paddleboarder riding the waves of the Water Control plant effluent. Photo Credit: Devin Reese.

Today, the water gets increasingly shallow as you go upstream, except for the churning influx of sanitized water from the Arlington Water Pollution Control Plant just behind the Observation Deck (a prime birding spot). Boaters also also access Four-Mile-Run from an old ramp close to where Commonwealth Avenue meets the stream. Muddy but functional, it serves as the launch point for the regular stream clean-ups by kayak.

Boating in a stream that receives water treatment effluent and street runoff begs safety questions. As an urban stream, Four-Mile-Run suffers contamination, such as during this 2021 incident. But the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and City governments run regular water quality monitoring programs for the stream (see HERE), issuing alerts as needed, and always discouraging swimming.

As long as you’re planning to stay in your watercraft, you can safely boat on Four-Mile-Run stream. To boost access, a project is in the works for a new kayak launch. A collaborative project between the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation and City of Alexandria, the launch will be the first site on the Potomac River to provide ADA-compliant access for kayaks and canoes. Learn more HERE.

Style of the future boat launch on Four-Mile-Run.