Towards a Smart(er) Washington DC
Stormwater Runoff Treatment
Poster Design by Corianne SetzerRunner-up
A hidden engineering marvel of Washington, DC’s ongoing sustainability efforts are stormwater catchment tunnels deep below the city streets. As part of their Clean Rivers Project, DC Water commissioned four tunnels to mitigate combined sewer overflows in the Anacostia, Potomac Rivers, and Rock Creek.
The city’s Combined Sewer System, developed in the 19th century, cannot keep pace with the population increases and significant rainfall events—subsequently, millions of gallons of untreated sewage discharges directly into the city’s waterways. The waste threatens the health of the waterways and all its’ inhabitants.
An overhaul of the old sewage system was necessary to combat this issue. Part of the solution is to build giant tunnels to capture and store stormwater runoff until it can be treated at Washington, DC’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The unsung heroes of this project are the massive tunnel-boring machines used to create the tunnels. Each machine was christened with a name that nods to aspects of the District’s heritage. ‘Lady Bird,’ Nannie,’ and ‘Chris’ have been diligently drilling since 2013 to create a network of tunnels to save the Capitol’s waterways. They measure just under 26 feet (8 meters) in diameter. On average, each machine can dig up to 635 feet (194 meters) of tunnel each week, or 144 feet (44 meters) per day.
The poster design showcases the engineering hidden deep beneath the city that elevates Washington, DC, as a sustainable model city.
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