Oxon Run Sewer Project

The purpose of this project is to construct a new sewer to serve the Valley Terrace housing development. The existing sewer runs within or very close to Oxon Run stream and, in a few places, the sewer pipe is now exposed due to the shifting of the stream over time. Sanitary waste from the housing development currently flows in a pipe called the Lower Relief Sewer to a larger Upper Relief Sewer. Due to its age and the impact of the Oxon Run stream, the Lower Relief Sewer is deteriorating. Through this project, DC WASA will design and construct a new sewer to take the wastewater from Valley Terrace to the Upper Relief Sewer.

Since the Lower Relief Sewer is on National Park Service (NPS) property, DC WASA has held several meetings with a senior NPS member and staff to discuss ways of routing the new sewer that will have the least impact on the sensitive ecological resources. The Lower Relief Sewer lies in an area of the park with rare magnolia bogs. These rare bogs are only found in one other location within protected parklands of the United States.

DC WASA has evaluated several alternative sewer alignments. Ease of access to the future sewer for maintenance and repairs and impact to Valley Terrace during construction were also important factors in weighing the pros and cons of each alignment.

The recommended sewer route offers these advantages:

  • Avoids any impact to the rare magnolia bogs;
  • Is easy to access for future maintenance; and
  • By avoiding impact to the sensitive park environment and by easing access for construction, the project schedule should be shorter by virtue of permits being easier to obtain and the job being easier to construct.

Download a more detailed Fact sheet on the Oxon Run Sewer Project (PDF 1.5 mb) .

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DC WASA work scope will include

  • Road excavation within the public right-of-way
  • The installation of new 12-inch sanitary sewer lines.
  • Repaving of roads receiving new sewer lines
  • Installation of new manholes
  • In working with the NPS, sewer lines and manholes exposed within the stream may be removed, and the stream areas restored. There should be little to no impact to the residents.