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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Alexandria's sewer overflow project is on track for a July 1 operational date, with crews completing a series of pumping station tests over the past month, AlexRenew said in an update Friday.
The RiverRenew project brought flows into the Waterfront Tunnel for the first time in April. Since then, the team has hit several more testing milestones at the pumping station that will move captured combined sewer overflows from the tunnel to the utility's treatment plant.
Pumps come online
Crews tested the Hydraulic Power Unit, the system that opens and closes valves throughout the pumping station to let flows pass through, and started up the two tunnel dewatering pumps for the first time. The dewatering pumps sit at the lowest level of the station and can move up to 20 million gallons of wastewater per day, lifting flows 130 feet from the bottom of the Waterfront Tunnel to AlexRenew's treatment plant.
The team also successfully tested the wet weather pumps, which AlexRenew described as the largest of their kind. Those pumps provide additional capacity during major storms, when wastewater volumes spike.
Connecting the interceptor
Most recently, divers using specialized equipment have been cutting into the Commonwealth Interceptor to connect it with the rest of the pumping station, a step that will tie the existing collection system into the new infrastructure.
AlexRenew said it will continue to share progress as the project approaches completion. More information is available on the utility's website and social media channels.
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