Northeast Boundary Tunnel Project – Comment Period Closes April 2

Posted on by mrgeovani

Project Overview

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) project. The NEBT is a major component of DC Water’s Long Term Control Plan to meet court-ordered Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) control objectives, water quality standards, and provide flood relief in the Northeast Boundary drainage area of the District. As one of several divisions of the Anacostia River Projects portion of the DC Clean Rivers Project (DCCR), the NEBT is being designed to comply with the requirements of a Federal Consent Decree entered into by DC Water, the District, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The NEBT would provide the last increment of CSO storage capacity for the Anacostia River required by the Consent Decree and would also serve to mitigate the occurrence of sewer flooding and basement backups in the Northeast Boundary drainage area.

In 2010, DC Water prepared an EA that evaluated the potential environmental effects resulting from the implementation of the Anacostia River Projects. In 2013, the NEBT alignment was modified by the Mayor’s Task Force in response to severe flood events in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods to more effectively control flooding. Due to the modification, a separate EA has been prepared to identify and evaluate potential environmental impacts of the updated NEBT project.

Major characteristics of the NEBT include:

  • Installation of 27,000 feet long, 23 feet diameter reinforced concrete tunnel
  • Tunnel depths of 50 – 160 feet below the ground surface using a Tunnel Boring Machine
  • Diversion facilities sited near chronic flood areas to relieve the existing sewer system and divert flows to the tunnel during storm events
  • Ventilation control facilities constructed to regulate air flow in the tunnel system

The location of the NEBT and construction staging areas can be found on various maps included in the EA and is available on various other project materials provided below under “Project Documents”.

 

Total construction cost of the NEBT project is estimated at more than $500 million. Construction of the tunnel and supporting infrastructure would begin in 2017 and is scheduled to be completed in 2022. When completed, the Anacostia River Projects, which include the NEBT, are expected to reduce the annual volume of CSOs to the Anacostia River by 98 percent, and number of overflows from 82 to 2 in an average year of rainfall. In addition to CSO storage, the other major benefit of the project is to improve the capacity of the sewer system so it matches the current design standard for the system. This will greatly reduce the frequency of flooding. When storms larger than a 15-year 24-hour storm occur, the project will greatly mitigate the magnitude and duration of flooding.

Public Meetings

Meeting Date Location
EA Public Meeting 2/27/2014 McKinley Technology High School
151 T Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Public Informational Meeting 10/17/2013 McKinley Technology High School
151 T Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
  • DC Water will hold a public meeting on February 27, 2014 to share information and provide interested parties an opportunity to give written comments on the NEBT project and the contents of the EA. Members of the public are invited to stop by between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to see displays and to discuss the project with DCCR Project staff. The meeting will open with welcoming remarks by DC Water promptly at 6:30 p.m. For more information or for individuals requiring special assistance at the meeting, please contact DC Clean Rivers Community Outreach at (202) 787-4447 or by email atdccleanrivers@dcwater.com.

    To view the flyer distributed to invite members of the public to participate in the meeting and provide comments click here.

  • On October 17, 2013, DC Water held an initial public informational meeting at McKinley Technology High School. In conjunction with the meeting, DC Water advertised a public comment period that ended on November 15, 2013. The public meeting and comment period were held as a part of the environmental compliance process for the NEBT project. The purpose of the public meeting and comment period were to provide project information and to identify any issues or concerns that the public may have with the NEBT project. Information collected during this public involvement process was used to assist with the development of the EA for the NEBT project. To view the posters presented during this meeting,click here. To view the flyer distributed to invite members of the public to participate in the meeting and provide comments,click here.

Environmental Assessment – Notice of Availability

DC Water has prepared an EA to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the NEBT project. DC Water is releasing the NEBT EA for a 45-day public review and comment period beginning February 17, 2014 and ending April 2, 2014. To view or download the EA report, click here. The EA will also be available for review at the following locations on or after February 21, 2014:

Bethesda Baptist Church, 1808 Capitol Avenue, NE
Brentwood Recreation Center, 2311 14th Street, NE
Gallaudet University Library, 800 Florida Avenue, NE
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW
McKinley Technology High School, 151 T Street, NE
Mt. Pleasant Library, 3160 16th Street, NW
Northwest One Library, 155 L Street, NW
Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress Street, NE
Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Library, 1630 7th Street, NW

How to Comment

Agencies and the public are encouraged to review and comment on the contents of the EA during the 45-day public review and comment period beginning February 17, 2014 and ending April 2, 2014. If you have any comments, questions, and/or concerns regarding the NEBT project or the EA, we’d like to hear from you.

Comments on the project must be submitted in writing. We encourage you to submit your comments online by clicking on the button below. Comment forms will also be available at the public meetings. The comment forms can be given to DC Water staff at the meeting or placed in the mail to: DC Clean Rivers Project (Attn: NEBT), DC Water and Sewer Authority, 5000 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20032. Comments may also be emailed to dccleanrivers@dcwater.com

Project Documents

The following documents are available to view online or download to your computer. DC Water hopes that these documents will help you to better understand the proposed project and to provide meaningful comments.

 

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