[Archived] Alexandria City Council Adopts Plan to Further Accelerate Combined Sewer Outfall Remediation

For Immediate Release: April 25, 2018

On April 24, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Long Term Control Plan Update (LTCPU) and approve an agreement to transfer ownership of the City’s four combined sewer outfalls to Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew), in a continuing effort to accelerate remediation of the City’s combined sewer system. The City will continue to work closely with AlexRenew for the duration of the remediation.

The LTCPU was developed by City and AlexRenew staff and consultants, with input from the Ad Hoc Combined Sewer System Plan Stakeholder Group and the public. The proposed plan calls for construction of a unified tunnel system that would transport sewage and stormwater flows from all four combined sewer outfalls to AlexRenew’s Water Resources Recovery Facility. Combined sewer flows would be fully treated at the Facility until it reaches capacity, at which point the excess flow would receive initial treatment and disinfection and the remaining flows would be stored in the tunnel system until they can be treated.  Combined sewer overflows into local waterways would be significantly reduced and only occur a few times a year during extreme storm events when flows exceed the combined capacity of the entire system.

AlexRenew was created by City Council in 1952 as the first independent wastewater authority in Virginia. With a proven track record of delivering complex water infrastructure projects for more than 60 years, AlexRenew now operates an advanced, award-winning facility that serves as a model for safe, innovative wastewater treatment nationwide.  AlexRenew cleans over 13 billion gallons of wastewater every year, for more than 320,000 people in Alexandria and Fairfax County.

The adopted LTCPU, which will be submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, fully complies with the 2017 state law requiring that work on the outfalls be completed by July 1, 2025.

While 95 percent of Alexandria is served by separate sewer systems for stormwater and sewage, the remaining 5 percent is served by a combined sewer system. When too much rain flows into the combined collection system, it overflows into local waterways at four permitted outfalls. Alexandria has one of the earliest combined sewer systems in the country, dating back to the early 1800s. More than 800 cities nationwide have similar systems, including neighboring outfalls that overflow into the Potomac River. Remediation projects require the planning, design, and construction of massive infrastructure projects to significantly reduce sewer overflows.

For more information about the combined sewer system remediation projects, visit alexandriava.gov/CleanWaterways.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.