Update at 8:15 p.m. — “We traced the discoloration to an active construction site, which is the likely source,” said Arlington DES spokeswoman Jessica Baxter. “A light-colored sediment had discharged from the site and into the storm drain system.”
Why did this stretch of Four Mile Run turn yellow?
That’s a question officials with Arlington County’s Dept. of Environmental Services are trying to answer.
The Arlington County Fire Department was called to investigate a yellow substance in a portion of the stream behind The Brittany condominium complex at 4500 S Four Mile Run Drive around 2:35 p.m. this afternoon.
Though the firefighters concluded the mysterious discoloration is not hazardous, the substance has county officials scratching their heads.
“We don’t know how long it had been there,” said DES staffer Mark Wisdom. “We can’t make a determination until we can find the source.”
Wisdom said he planned to search for discarded paint cans or other substances near the creek.
Photos and additional reporting by Lindsay Smith