On Monday, January 4, HRSD suffered a major line break of a primary force main on 16th Street. Emergency repair work is currently underway to repair the pipe.
In order to aid in the repair, temporary bypass piping and pumping will be installed along 16th Street between Jeb's Place and Monitor Merrimac Overlook Park. The installation of this temporary bypass system will require 24/7 "around the clock" work through the month of January. This 36″ force main carries wastewater to the Boat Harbor Treatment Plant and is part of a 2-mile, $16 million pipe replacement Capital Improvement project (BHO15600) that is currently underway.
Updates and notices will also be posted to HRSD's project web page, and you may sign up to receive an email notification when the web page is updated by subscribing at www.hrsd.com/subscriptions.
The Virginia Department of Health has issued an emergency closure order of a portion of the James River to shellfish harvesting due to the spillage. The affected shellfish are filter-feeding bivalve mollusks including oysters and clams, but not crabs or fin fish. For more information on shellfish closures, see the frequently asked questions on shellfish condemnations at www.vdh.virginia.gov/EnvironmentalHealth/Shellfish/faq/.