Service Authority Constructing New Neabsco Sewage Pumping Station
– May 2, 2014 1:21 am
The Prince William County Service Authority takes pride in maintaining its sewer infrastructure while preserving the environment around it. One example of this is the Service Authority’s new Neabsco sewage lift station, which is scheduled to open early next year. It will replace a 34-year-old facility in Woodbridge.
The Service Authority embarked on the $13 million project in order to improve efficiencies and accommodate future growth along the U.S. 1 corridor. The new facility will have more than 25 million gallons per day pumping capacity compared with the 18 million maximum at the current lift station.
“The existing pump station has served a useful life and it has been very reliable for us,” said Service Authority Operations and Maintenance Director Don Pannell. “We are replacing it before it requires a lot of excessive maintenance.”
The Neabsco lift station is a crucial component of the wastewater collection system in eastern Prince William County, pumping approximately half of the wastewater that flows into the nearby H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility. The Mooney Facility treats wastewater from thousands of homes and businesses in Dumfries, Triangle, Montclair and parts of Woodbridge.
Not only is the lift station a larger, more modern facility, it is being constructed significantly higher above sea level than the current structure, reducing the chances of the station being affected by flooding. Much of the eastern side of U.S. 1 in Woodbridge is located in a flood plain due to its proximity to the Potomac River. During significant weather events, the nearby Neabsco Creek will occasionally spill over its banks, necessitating the placement of sand bags around the current facility as a precautionary measure.
The project includes the installation of a new generator to keep the pumps working during power outages. During heavy rainstorms, water can infiltrate sewer mains at their weakest points. The more water that gets into the sewer line, the greater volume of sewage Neabsco and other lift stations have to pump into the water reclamation facility to be treated.
“The Neabsco lift station project is another example of the Service Authority’s commitment to meet anticipated growth demands by upgrading and replacing existing assets to maintain the highest performance, efficiency and quality of services to our customers,” said Service Authority Director of Engineering and Planning Samer Beidas.
-Submitted by Prince William Service Authority
