A new public dashboard will help residents stay informed on different aspects of water quality in the Potomac River.
The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions launched the dashboard in June alongside Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society and Potomac Riverkeeper Network.
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.
RiverRenew, the largest infrastructure project in Alexandria’s history, is coming online on Wednesday, July 1.
John Hill, chair of AlexRenew‘s board of directors, said that replacing Old Town’s 19th century combined sewer system with a tunnel system and sewer infrastructure has been a “gargantuan” task. The wastewater project will divert approximately 120 million gallons of raw sewage from flowing into the Potomac River every year.
Proposed changes to the base charge for Alexandria’s wastewater customers will be addressed at a public hearing Saturday (May 16).
AlexRenew, which operates the city’s wastewater service, is proposing updates to how its base charge is calculated. The utility proposes calculating the base charge using the monthly water use of a typical household, rather than the current method based on a customer’s meter size. For residential customers, water use of 3,500 gallons would equal one unit. For commercial customers, average usage volume would be converted into units relative to residential customers’ usage to set the base charge.
Firefighters from Alexandria and Arlington recovered a contractor who was unable to exit a sewer while working in Eisenhower East yesterday afternoon (Thursday).
The Alexandria Fire Department’s Engine 205 and Battalion 201 responded to 1500 Eisenhower Avenue to rescue the 32-year-old man, who was reportedly trapped in the sewer, according to city dispatches around 4:15 p.m.
AlexRenew will cut the ribbon on the new promenade at RiverRenew Plaza on Oct. 18 at Pendleton and N. Union Streets in Old Town.
The new plaza at 501 N. Union Street sits atop AlexRenew’s RiverRenew project, which will divert millions of gallons of raw sewage from the Potomac River via a 2.2-mile-long underground tunnel that’s been under construction for four years. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony include Mayor Alyia Gaskins, AlexRenew Board Chair John Hill, AlexRenew CEO Justin Carl, and Waterfront Commission Chair Louise Roseman.
This week, AlexRenew is inspecting the Potomac Interceptor Sewer within Jones Point Park along the waterfront in Old Town.
AlexRenew will conduct video inspections and run bypass pumps along the Potomac Interceptor Sewer in the park, the wastewater treatment authority announced on social media.
Over the next several weeks, AlexRenew will inspect manholes all over Alexandria.
The inspections will move from east to west across the city, and will occur between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, according to the utility.
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.
Good morning, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Wednesday, Aug. 13, the 225th day of 2025. There are 140 days left in the year.
⛈️ Today’s weather: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Good morning, Alexandria!
🗓️ Today is Wednesday, July 23, the 204th day of 2025. There are 161 days left in the year.
