Soapstone Park now closed for 1.5-year sewer rehabilitation project

Manholes along the Soapstone Valley trail in 2013.

Sunday was your last chance to walk the stream crossings and trail in the Soapstone Valley for at least the next 1 1/2 years.

The trail closed Monday for the construction phase of the Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project, and will remain closed through October 3rd, 2023, said DC Water in a project update email on Saturday. (Read it below.)

First-day tasks for DC Water’s contractor, Inland Pipe Rehabilitation, include putting up signs informing the public of the trail’s closure. First-week tasks, said the email, include tree cutting at Audubon Terrace “leading to Broad Branch Road” and installing pathways for the heavy equipment required for installing and curing the sewer pipe’s new lining.

The places marked in red are the “primary areas of project construction.” The March 5th project update indicates most of the work through March 19th will occur east of Audubon Terrace.

IPR started tagging trees for trimming and removal on February 11th. It completed that work on March 4th.

DC Water is proceeding with the project despite calls by ANC 3F and some community members to pause the work and further study the method chosen to rehabilitate the sewer lines, which are more than 110 years old. That method is thermal cured-in-place pipe, or CIPP. The “thermal” in the name comes from the steam or hot water used the cure the resin in the lining.

After community activist Marjorie Share and ANC 3F raised concerns about toxic emissions from thermal CIPP, DC Water switched from steam to hot water curing, which it said would produce no “intentional” air pollution. The wastewater, it said, would be captured and treated at Blue Plans. At a February 17th public meeting, DC Water also said it would hire a third party to perform air quality monitoring.

ANC 3F passed two resolutions seeking to delay the work for further study of CIPP and pollution mitigation methods, one in January directed to the National Park Service and Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the other in February asking Council member Mary Cheh to secure an emergency stop-work order.

PROJECT UPDATE

Saturday, March 5, 2022
Manager, Community Outreach: Emanuel D. Briggs
(202) 787-2003 or [email protected]

Greetings DC Water Community Stakeholders:

By way of this update, we would like to inform you that during this upcoming week, we will begin construction activities as part of our Soapstone Valley Park Sewer Rehabilitation Project. Yesterday, March 4, we completed mobilization (set up) of the project area, which included the following:

• Installation of project signs, temporary construction fencing and equipment staging site.
• Tagging of trees designated for cutting/removal.
• Delivery of sanitation devices (portable toilets that our Contractor will use).
• Additional survey and stakeout of the project area.

Please read below for a list of upcoming activities for the next two weeks:

Week of March 7

• Monday, March 7
  • Beginning Monday, Soapstone Valley Park will be temporarily closed to the public. This closure will remain in place for the duration of the project to ensure the safety of the public while our Contractor is working in the park (public safety is our Number 1 priority). We anticipate the park to be closed from March 7, 2022, through October 3, 2023. Signage announcing the park closure will be erected on Monday.

• Monday, March 7 – Saturday, March 12

• • Throughout next week, our Contractor will be performing tree-cutting activities in the portion of the park at the end of Audubon Terrace, leading to Broad Branch Road.

• Monday, March 7 – Saturday, March 12
  • Concurrent with tree-cutting activities at this location, our Contractor will be working at this end of Audubon Terrace throughout the week to install temporary pathways that will be needed to haul heavy equipment into the site.

Week of March 14

• Monday, March 14 – Saturday, March 19
  • Our Contractor will be performing tree-cutting activities in the portion of the park at Broad Branch Road.

• Monday, March 14 – Saturday, March 19
  • Concurrent with tree-cutting activities at this location, our Contractor will be working around Broad Branch Road to install temporary pathways that will be needed to haul heavy equipment into the site.

Moving forward, DC Water will be providing similar updates on a weekly basis, to help keep you informed on our project activities.

Please keep in mind that these construction activities are highly dependent upon favorable weather conditions.

Thanks much, stay tuned for future updates, and please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

For More Information
24/7 Project Hotline: 202-301-8058
Project Email: [email protected]
Project Webpage: dcwater.com/projects/soapstone_sewer