FoSC Program Meeting with WSSC

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) gave a presentation at the Friends of Sligo Creek (FOSC) program meeting on March 12. You may remember that WSSC was sued by environmental groups (including Friends of Sligo Creek) back in 2005, and settled the suit by agreeing to repair their leaking sewer pipes and manholes throughout Prince George’s & Montgomery County watersheds by December 7, 2015. WSSC calls the resulting effort for our watershed the Sligo Creek Basin Sanitary Sewer Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation (SR3) Program. Here are highlights of their presentation and the following discussion from March 12

WSSC will be repairing, relining, and/or replacing 10 miles of what they call “priority 1” problem lines in the Sligo Creek watershed.  These 10 miles are considered the most degraded and damaging of the total 215 miles of pipes in the watershed. While much of the work along residential streets has begun (and some completed), work is scheduled to start as early as May 2013 in the park. 

We were told they are almost done replacing piping on roadways.  Next steps are final design and repair in the areas leading to stream beds.  As many of you know, there are lots of exposed pipes and manholes in the Sligo stream bed.  As part of those repairs, they will be shoring up the manholes, lining pipes, re-covering pipes, and in some cases slightly rerouting the creek around exposed manholes. 

Although there will be little digging in the park, WSSC contractors will need to create access paths to reach damaged manholes and pipes.  As much as possible they'll use existing paved access (e.g., bike paths).  Where they must move vehicles through forested areas, they will work to avoid trees/shrubs, and will lay down layers of mulch and woodwork to cushion impacts and minimize soil compaction.  Friends of Sligo is working with the planners to make sure every reasonable precaution is taken to avoid damaging environmentally sensitive areas (e.g., wetlands). Members of FOSC will meet with WSSC staff and contractors at each sensitive site two weeks in advance of work being done to view the final route plan and make requests for changes where it is felt necessary.

There is an interactive project map (link below).  Kit Gage used it for her Sligo Park Hills neighborhood, and saw that the roads of Park Valley, Sunnyside and Parkside are only in the planning stage, and there is construction on Sunnyside toward Parkside.  So much of the roadwork by WSSC remains to be done in that area.  She will contact WSSC to help make sure the work doesn't interfere with upcoming stormwater work in her neighborhood.  Check out that interactive map.  It's pretty easy to use.

The meeting was attended by about 30 citizens and eight WSSC and contractor folks. WSSC has consistently indicated their willingness to work with and tweak projects per community needs, particularly to protect existing trees etc.  One still  unanswered question is to what extent the relining and repair effort will help curtail the pollution that has been detected in stormwater outlets.  The stormwater system is not supposed to be connected to any WSSC sewer pipes, but , it seems apparent from recent studies by the Center for Watershed Protection that some sewage is making its way to Sligo from WSSC pipes.  (WSSC does not currently have responsibility for building or maintaining the stormdrain systems, which are the responsibility of the County and City of Takoma Park. 

Bruce Sidwell (advocacy@fosc.org) is the designated point person on this project for FOSC  Please contact him with questions or suggestions regarding FOSC’s role in monitoring this upcoming work.

If you want more information, you can go to the following websites: www.wsscwater.com/sr3

Interactive map:  http://gisweb.wsscwater.com/InYouirNeighborhood/

questions: www.wsscwater.com/home/jsp/content/ww-treat-faq.faces

By Kit Gage & Bruce Sidwell, Friends of Sligo Creek