WASHINGTON — As we prepare for another round of weather, did you notice this week’s rain event did not flood some of D.C.’s low-lying neighborhoods?
Areas usually affected by heavy rains like Eckington in Northeast were not inundated with water. DC Water officials said that is because the Northeast Boundary Tunnel fared well in its first big test.
If you go back to August of 2023, a large amount of rain fell in a short time along Rhode Island Avenue area with tragic results. The flood water crept up fast and flooded into District Dogs.
In September the Northeast Boundary Tunnel went online, a month after the tragedy. But DC water officials say it’s already paying off in capturing flood water.
The tunnel runs five miles long under the city and is designed to capture the overflow from the storm and sewer system.
Tuesday, the big test came. Under one of the most significant storms of the season, more than two inches of water poured into D.C.
Just like it was designed to do, the tunnel filled up, but the streets did not flood. While that was a great benefit, DC Water officials explained that the environmental impact was just as important.”
“In all, the tunnel captured 267 million gallons (of sewage) that otherwise would have flowed into the Anacostia River,” John Lisle from DC water said. “That is rainwater mixed with sanitary sewage coming from people’s homes and businesses.”
Before the tunnel project went online, Lisle said roughly 80 weather events triggered overflow into the Anacostia. Now that the project is online, they expect to see that number down to around two floods a year.