MITIGATION OF SURFACE EROSION IN ROCK CREEK PARK

Erosion is the movement of soil or rock by gravity and water, wind or ice; gravity is the driving factor but can be supplemented by the other three. The National Park Service (NPS) is assessing and considering options to manage and mitigate erosion from storm water runoff on a slope in Water Pierce Park, a small park within Rock Creek Park. The hill slope is a complex hill that has both characteristics of a straight and convex hill slope. The site is part of a former Quaker cemetery and a former 19th century African American cemetery. The site is known to contain over 7,000 grave sites in total. Storms in the Washington DC area can be extremely intense. DC averages roughly 40 inches of rainfall annually, most of which falls during late spring and summer months. Surface runoff occurring at the cemetery has caused substantial loss on the slope, due direct rainfall and from surface runoff from the slope above. The majority of this surface runoff comes from above the hill slope, a highly urbanized area with lots of impermeable surface. In addition to this, off trail and social trail travelers have aggravated the slope and helped to increase the amount of erosion. This hydrologic assessment will provide actions to mitigate surface runoff and erosion damage to the hill. Recommendations have been made to the National Park Service as to how to reduce the amount of erosion that occurs upon the slope.