Speaker: Jessica Slagle, Stormwater Engineer at Timmons Group
Topic: Revitalizing an EPA Brownfield – South River Preserve and Rockfish Run
Join us at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 29th, at the Wayne Theatre for a Science Talk presented by The Timmons Group.
Jessica Slagle will give a presentation on the creation and revitalization of the South River Preserve, adjacent to Constitution Park.
More than 450,000 brownfields (lands that are abandoned or underused due to concerns about contamination) have been identified by the EPA in the U.S. for redevelopment and reuse, one of which is the South River within the City of Waynesboro, Virginia. Previously owned by Dupont, the river and surrounding areas have been impacted by industrial practices and the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants. In conjunction with the City of Waynesboro and Anhold Associates Landscape Architecture and Planning, Timmons Group developed plans to rehabilitate the South River Preserve and Rockfish Run for recreation, habitat, and ecological uplift. The South River Preserve site received funding as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) program to remediate mercury contamination downstream of a decommissioned DuPont facility. Given the state of the river and Brownfield requirements, many options were considered for implementation to improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and create an area for the community to safely interact with the environment.
In addition, Rockfish Run was identified as a stream restoration opportunity for the City of Waynesboro, Virginia in conjunction with the South River Preserve. Rockfish Run converges with the South River and due to watershed development, it was contributing excessive sediment into the river. The restoration created ecological uplift and habitat for local wildlife, as well as improved utility conditions, and will provide educational opportunities for years to come.
Jessica Slagle is a Project Engineer in the Stormwater Services Group at Timmons Group in Richmond, Virginia. She was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. She attended Virginia Tech to study Biological Systems Engineering and graduated in 2019. Jessica has a passion for working outdoors and enjoys investigating a variety of stormwater and ecological systems. She currently focuses on stream restoration at Timmons Group, but has experience in regulatory compliance, stormwater management design, and floodplain analysis. Stream restoration combines many of her interests, including problem solving and environmental rehabilitation, and allows for the ecological uplift within severely degraded water systems.
Science Talks are free and open to the public, with a “donate what you will” to the Wayne Theatre for hosting. The snack and beverage bar will be open for this event.
Science Talks are livestreamed from both the Wayne Theatre and VMNH Facebook Pages, as well as the Center for Coldwaters Restoration website, where you can also view videos of all our previous Science Talks.
South River Watershed Coalition is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Contributions to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations may be deductible as charitable contributions on a donor’s federal income tax return. Tax ID # 92-2890008
