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Pedestrian Trails
Since the island was closed to the public between 1996 and 2000, little was done to the trail system. Several elements of the original implemented design are being reassessed especially where the main trail crossed over the cotton/flour stair tower. Park stewards today are exploring alternative routes to deter pedestrian use on the mill ruin. Instead of bridging over the tower walls as was done previously with the at-grade plank bridge, an alternative would be to go around a siltation pit opening and then connect to Wernwag Street.
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Current view of the cotton/flour mill stair tower foundation without
bridge over opening, 2001. NPS Photo |
Despite the limited attention given Wernwag Street since the flood, it is in good condition. No additional calcined clay material has been added to the historic road since its initial treatment in 1994. As it turns out such a material can no longer be purchased from a local distributor, so an alternative surfacing material for all the trails is being sought. Quite a bit of storm and construction debris is stockpiled on sections of the historic road.
In the next few years, it is hoped that the entire trail system will be back to its pre-flood appearance.
Vegetation Management
The two floods brought down hundreds of mature trees and changed the enclosed character of the island, especially in the residential core. Today, this area is now more open and undulating where the uprooted trees left depressions. Piles of wood chips from the shredded branches and stumps still litter the ground.
Other than the regular grass mowing near the Shenandoah canal bridge, the maintenance crews have spent most of their efforts on clean up of storm debris. Once the stabilization of the industrial structures is completed in the next few years, the hope is to resume with vegetation management around the ruins and in the yards. One of the positive outcomes of the flood is the open character of the yards, which was desired when the vegetation management plan was developed in 1993.