Mint Springs Valley Park temporarily closed on Friday, August 9, after a failed culvert pipe made its way through the road surface at the entrance to the park following heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby. Central Virginia saw several inches of residual rainfall during Debby’s trek north, and the high water levels forced the pipe through the pavement. This isn’t the first time this particular culvert has caused trouble. “This is the same location where the pipe was replaced in 2020,” says Albemarle’s Superintendent of Parks Jim Barbour. “However, the cause of the 2020 failure was … an old and degraded galvanized culvert pipe.” Debby’s effects also prompted the county’s swimming beaches—at Chris Greene Lake, Walnut Creek, and Mint Springs—to close until water levels fall.
Related stories
City officials want to amend Charlottesville’s homestay ordinance—and its occupancy limits
Charlottesville was among the first localities in the United States to regulate residential short-term rentals in 2015. More than a decade later, the city wants to update its rules, but it’s still juggling the often competing feedback from homestay operators and neighbors. Short-term rentals, also referred to as homestays, gained popularity during the mid-2010s surge […]
Project Censored’s list of buried stories hits half-century mark
Half a century ago, Peter Jensen launched Project Censored, in part as a response to how the Watergate break-in was covered. Richard Nixon didn’t censor the initial reporting, but he didn’t have to. The press simply didn’t cover it with any serious scrutiny until well after Nixon was elected. The story didn’t reach the American […]
Charlottesville City Council briefed on next set of affordable housing requests
Charlottesville City Council will not officially see a draft of the next budget until March, but City Manager Sam Sanders spent some time on December 15 setting up the next round of requests for affordable housing funds. “Our goal would be to begin to have conversations with you about prioritizing these considerations for the budget, […]
