DC Water omits details of Soapstone sewer bypass pipe installation in public communications

A sewer bypass pipe in the Soapstone Valley. (October 23 photo)

by Marlene Berlin

On Tuesday, October 25th, Tara Waterman emailed DC Water about what she described as “a pervasive acrid, chemical odor consist[ent] with vinyl chloride off-gassing” emanating from the Soapstone Valley trailhead near her Audubon Terrace home. “The contractors for DC Water are melting PVC pipe today, and presumably, this is resulting in off-gassing,” she wrote.

According to emailed project updates in the previous week and later that evening, DC Water’s contractor was installing sewer bypass pipes. But the agency did not tell email subscribers what the work entailed: welding long plastic pipes together. Nor did it alert recipients to expect some odor, or directly contact the closest neighbors to let them know what was happening.

Sewage will be routed through the plastic bypass pipes while the original, 110-year-old sewer pipes are relined using the cured-in-place pipe process, or CIPP. DC Water has not discussed details of the bypass work – including possible odors, safety precautions and leak monitoring systems – in any recent public communications, including presentations at ANC 3F meetings.

The DC Department of Energy and the Environment has some oversight. The mitigation summary of the Environmental Assessment acknowledges that DOEE permitting may be required to protect Soapstone Creek from pollution. The agency is currently considering an air quality permit from DC Water’s contractor for a boiler truck that will be idling in the park. Forest Hills Connection asked DOEE whether it requires permits for the bypass piping.

“Bypass piping of this nature is a common industry practice used in sewer repair or rehabilitation projects,” replied Jonathan Champion, the associate director of DOEE’s Water Quality Division. He said DOEE does not issue permits or set monitoring requirements specifically for sewer bypasses, but reviews the plans when issuing permits for a project as a whole.

For the Soapstone rehabilitation project, Champion said, DOEE issued a water quality certification with conditions that include requiring wastewater to be captured before it can enter the stream, and requiring ongoing monitoring for “turbidity,” or water clarity. He said DOEE inspectors visit on a regular basis to ensure compliance.

Champion did not say whether the conditions including testing for E. coli and other evidence that sewage has entered the stream. Forest Hills Connection has asked for clarification.