Where does all that water go after it rains, or after you take a shower?
AlexRenew is hosting free open house tours of its wastewater facility at 1800 Limerick Street in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood. The tours last approximately 45 minutes and will be held on September 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children aged 14-17 must be accompanied by a guardian, and all visitors are required to wear closed-toe shoes and pants. They will also be provided with a hard hat, safety vest, and toe covers.
“You will be touring a working wastewater treatment plant,” Alex Renew said. “We will be walking outside, exposed to the elements. We will stop at stations along the tour to meet AlexRenew staff and learn more about the treatment process… The tour may experience a variety of surfaces, including blacktop, pavement, cement, and gravel. Participants will also climb up and down stairs for a portion of the tour.”
AlexRenew treats 38 million gallons of water for more than 300,000 people in Alexandria and parts of Fairfax County. It also oversees the award-winning RiverRenew project, which is the biggest infrastructure development in the city’s history. The $615 million project to remediate the city’s combined sewer outfalls to the Potomac River includes a two-mile-long tunnel that runs 115 to 160 feet below ground.
Can’t make the tour? Below is a video about the AlexRenew wastewater treatment plant.
