If you live in either Montgomery County or Prince George’s County, you may already have come across construction crews performing sewer repair work in your neighborhood or during your daily commute. You are likely to see more crews performing repairs over the next several years. While this work may cause a minor inconvenience while in progress, it will ultimately go a long way toward protecting the environment by helping to reduce the likelihood of sewage overflows. This work is a part of WSSC’s Sewer Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation (SR3) Program which is ongoing maintenance of the aging sewer infrastructure.
The SR3 Program is a continual effort to improve the condition of the wastewater collection system assets to reduce system overflows which can improve water quality in our waterways. Under the leadership of the Pipeline Design Division of the Engineering and Construction Team, WSSC is working hard to repair and replace parts of the sewer system to restore pipe and manhole to good conditions. With these improvements, less groundwater will infiltrate into pipes through cracks. As a result, there will be fewer sewer overflows into our waterways, enhancing the protection of both public health and the environment, while improving service to WSSC’s customers. The work will include pipelining, relocation, or replacement; replacing manhole frames and covers; protection of exposed pipes and manholes in the environmentally sensitive areas; grouting; and other types of repairs. The net effect of these changes will be an improvement to local water quality and updated infrastructure that will serve WSSC’s customers for many years to come.