News

Ribbon cut on Alexandria’s massive RiverRenew sewer system overhaul

By James Cullum
1/19

Alexandria leaders cut the ribbon today (Wednesday) on RiverRenew, the city’s largest infrastructure project in history.

The project replaces Old Town’s 19th-century combined sewer system with a 12-foot-wide, two-mile-long waterfront tunnel system and sewer infrastructure to divert approximately 120 million gallons of raw sewage from flowing into the Potomac River every year.

“We are closing the chapter on a centuries-old problem, and we are creating a new story, a story that is focused on cleaner, healthier waterways,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said. “We are [at] a place where, when there are big problems, we don’t run from them. We find a way to tackle them.”

The Virginia General Assembly mandated in 2017 that the sewer system overhaul must be completed by July 1, 2025, and later approved a one-year extension. AlexRenew, Alexandria’s wastewater treatment authority, managed the multimillion-dollar project using Hazel the tunnel-boring machine to dig the tunnel.

Justin Carl, AlexRenew’s general manager, said that the project was completed despite being given a timeline many considered impossible.

“Dedication and perseverance don’t go far enough to describe the heart of this project,” Carl said. “Together we’ve overcome substantial obstacles: [a] global pandemic that turned our world upside down, unprecedented inflation that strained our budgets, and foreign conflicts that changed the global economy. In the face of adversity, we persisted, setting a foundation for a healthier environment for our community, wildlife and future generations.”

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.