Uncleared sidewalks will have you saying 'ew' near the water pollution control plant for a different reason, for a change. (Photo: TBD Staff)

Arlington's reputation as a clean, green, friendly utopia on the Potomac hasn't come out of nowhere. Potholes are fixed, bricks are realigned. But there must be some glitches, at least some tiny imperfections in the well-manicured matrix that is Arlington. In Imperfect Arlington, we search for and document these anomalies, and, most likely, take note of how quickly they are repaired into oblivion. Have you caught Arlington off its game? Send us a tip.

We all know how annoying it can be to encounter a patch of uncleared sidewalk on our pedestrian travels; especially several days after a weather event, when the slushified and re-frozen white stuff has become a hardened slippery death trap.

This exact problem was what Arlington County was trying to address when it began requiring residents to clear their sidewalks for the first time this year. Judging from these photos of Arlington's water pollution control plant in Crystal City, howevever, the county's own adherence to this rule appears to be, well, less than perfect.

Uncleared sidewalks are no fun. (Photo: TBD Staff)

TBD's Andrew Beaujon snapped these photos of the notably uncleared sidewalks along South Glebe Road Monday — more than three days after the deadline for sidewalk clearing imposed by the new snow ordinance after last week's storm.

The sidewalks in the picture are adjacent to the water pollution control plant buildings on the south side of the road between Jefferson Davis Highway and South Fern Street. People do walk along this stretch, even if the odors from the plant make it somewhat unpleasant. It's probably been even less pleasant these past few days.