Reminder: Public meeting Tuesday on Soapstone sewer project

DC Water will talk about plans for rehabbing or replacing sewer system running though Soapstone Valley Park at a public meeting tomorrow, July 28th.

The meeting will be at Forest Hills of DC (4901 Connecticut Avenue, formerly Methodist Home) at 7:30 p.m. ANC 3F intends to stream the meeting live at livestream.anc3f.us, where it will also be available for playback later.

DC Water’s presentation is expected to focus on two options: lining the existing pipes (referred to as the “trenchless” option), and rerouting the sewage around NPS property.

From ANC Commissioner Mary Beth Ray:

We hope to learn more details about the environmental impact, staging area location, how neighbors will be impacted, and the timeline.

As you know, the Soapstone pipes are over 100 years old, and DC Water is currently repairing a leak at the east end of Audubon Terrace. The aging infrastructure simply can’t handle the volume of flow.

After our last community meeting on this a year or so ago, DC Water revised their proposal so that fewer trees are impacted. National Park Service has also asked them to make a second proposal that would remove pipes from the park altogether, however that involves a potentially greater impact to the community (e.g. noise and smell of two pumping stations).

Repairing aging infrastructure is overdue, but complicated, and by participating as a community hopefully we can shape the process to minimize environmental impact and preserve the precious beauty of Soapstone Valley Park.