Media Contacts:
DC Water:
Pamela Mooring/Emanuel Briggs
Pamela.Mooring@dcwater.com/Emanuel.Briggs@dcwater.com
202-787-2089/2003

National Park Service:
Katie Liming (NPS)
Katelyn_Liming@nps.gov  
202-619-7156

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS) welcome public review and comment on a proposal to rehabilitate the sanitary sewer system in Soapstone Valley Park. Soapstone Valley Park is managed by Rock Creek Park and is located southeast of the intersection of Connecticut Avenue NW and Albemarle Street NW, extending to Broad Branch Road NW.

Through this project, DC Water would rehabilitate the aging sewer infrastructure within the Soapstone Valley Park sewer system while limiting disturbances to park resources. To ensure public safety, sections of Soapstone Valley Park would be closed to visitors throughout the project.
The proposed project would involve the following:

• Clean, line and repair approximately 6,200 linear feet of sanitary sewer pipe.
• Reduce stream and groundwater infiltration and reduce potential for sewer overflows.
• Eliminate exposed pipes and manholes to the greatest extent possible.
• Repair stormwater outfalls that are part of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) outlet.

Because much of the rehabilitation project will take place in Soapstone Valley Park, DC Water has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to identify and evaluate the potential impacts on natural resources and cultural resources. The EA describes two alternatives, a no action alternative and a trenchless alternative (DC Water’s preferred alternative).
 
There are three ways to comment on the Soapstone Valley Park Sewer Rehabilitation EA during the 60-day public review period from Tuesday, June 4, 2019, through Friday, August 2, 2019:

• In person at a public meeting on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, from 6 p.m. to
  8 p.m. at the Forest Hills of DC Assembly Hall, 4901 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
• Online through the National Park Service’s Park Planning, Environment & Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/soapstonesewer
• By Mail for letters postmarked by August 2, 2019:

Superintendent, Rock Creek Park

Attention: Soapstone Valley Park Sewer Rehabilitation EA
3545 Williamsburg Lane NW
Washington, DC 20008
 
Please Note: Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.​