Virginia town set to begin $104 million CSO tunnel project
Lynchburg, Va. (UI) — Construction of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel, the largest capital improvement project in Lynchburg’s history, is set to begin in the coming weeks, Lynchburg Water Resources (LWR) has announced. The project, part of the LYHBeyond initiative, aims to protect Lynchburg’s waterways from combined sewer overflows (CSO).
The total project cost is $103.9 million, with $50 million funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The Blackwater CSO Tunnel will be a nearly mile-long, 12-foot-diameter underground tunnel located 70 to 120 feet beneath Blackwater Creek. It is designed to collect and store up to 4.7 million gallons of combined sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, preventing wastewater from overflowing into local waterways.
“Over 800 cities nationwide have combined sewer systems, and Lynchburg has been nationally recognized for its proactive efforts to reduce and eliminate CSOs,” said Tim Mitchell, Director of Lynchburg Water Resources. “Thanks to the CSO Program, we have already eliminated over one billion gallons of combined sewage discharges annually.”
Mitchell added, “This project represents over four decades of work and more than $400 million invested to restore water quality in Lynchburg’s streams and the James River. Once LYHBeyond is complete, only a few small CSO projects will remain.”
Atkinson Construction has been awarded the contract for the tunnel construction, with Stantec handling planning, design, and project management.
The Blackwater CSO Tunnel will run from a new CSO 52 Drop Shaft facility on the Point of Honor Trail to a Downtown CSO Pump Station at the bottom of Seventh Street. Mobilization will begin around July 22 at the Seventh Street site, with initial construction noise expected for the first few months. Later in the project, drill-and-blast excavation will be used to clear the tunnel’s path, and a portion of Point of Honor Trail will be temporarily closed. Citizens will be informed before any drill-and-blast operations and trail closures. Construction is expected to take about three years.
The LYHBeyond project continues the city’s 45-year CSO program, which has eliminated 115 of the original 132 sewer overflow points, achieving a 93% reduction in wastewater entering waterways. The completion of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel will further reduce overflows, bringing the total reduction to 98%.
Benefits of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel include protecting public health, improving water quality and protecting aquatic life in Blackwater Creek and the James River, providing adequate sewer capacity for future growth in Lynchburg and surrounding areas, and contributing to the completion of the city’s CSO program.
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