DC Water launches $2.6bn US Clean Rivers project

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority has launched the $2.6bn Clean Rivers project in Washington DC, US.

The Clean Rivers project will eliminate combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek, and will improve the Chesapeake Bay environment.

The project comprises huge underground tunnels, which will store the combined sewage during rain events and release it to the Blue Plains advanced wastewater treatment plant after storms subside.

The first tunnel, Blue Plains, will extend from Blue Plains in south-west Washington DC, crossing under the Anacostia River and extending along the west bank to near the RFK Stadium.

From there, the tunnel will be extended to form a segment known as the Northeast Boundary tunnel.