n e e r G DC
Blue Plains - Working For All Of Us Our River: The Anacostia by Bill Matuszeski
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Blue Plains, with the Potomac River on the Left and I-295 on the right. Photo: DCWater
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E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m
long the Potomac, virtually in the back yard of Anacostia, is Blue Plains, a remarkable place that we are so lucky to have. Blue Plains is nothing less than “The Largest Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant In the World.” How it got that recognition and what it does for us is a rather complicated tale, but worth getting to know. The south end of Blue Plains, where the Cleaned Blue Plains is part of DCUp Waters are discharged into the Potomac. Photo: Bill Matuszeski Water, which also provides drinking water to 700,000 DC residents plus visitors. So rather than the sewers overflowIn addition to this, it treats ing into our rivers whenever it rains, they wastewater for 1.6 million additional reswill now deliver near 100% of the overflow idents of nearby developed areas, includto Blue Plains. A tremendous effort is uning Montgomery, Prince Georges, Fairfax derway to not only treat this sewage, but to and Loudoun Counties. Blue Plains treats develop a range of potential future uses for an average of nearly 300 million wastewaits components. This effort has produced ter gallons per day, has a design capacity for a range of re-use options under the leader384 million and a peak capacity with temship of Chris Peot, a longtime Capitol Hill porary storage of more than a billion galresident who is Director of Resource Recovlons per day. ery. During treatment, bio-solids and enerDavid Gadis is the Chief Executive gy are extracted and re-used. The bio-solOfficer and General Manager of DCWaids are marketed to agriculture and garden ter. He ensures that DCWater delivers on supply companies. Other processes in the diits commitment to virtually eliminate comgesters produce enough electricity to cut the bined sewer overflows into the Potomac, Blue Plains bill by a third. the Anacostia and Rock Creek. We have alThese are only examples of a full range ready seen amazing results from its $2.7 bilof innovative treatments that take the plant lion investment in a massive system of deep beyond a “primary” or “secondary” desigtunnels and other projects in the Anacostia, nation and make it an Advanced Wastewater with real progress toward the ultimate goal Treatment Plant. of a 98% reduction of sewer overflows—the highest percentage reduction goal in the Advanced Treatments metropolitan area, by the way, and among The whole process of this advanced treatment the highest on earth!
