Who wants to talk about Richmond’s combined sewer system (CSS)? 🙋♂️🙋🙋♀️ 1/
First, we’ve got to be on the same page regarding stormwater. Stormwater is rain (or melted snow) that can’t be absorbed through impervious surfaces like roofs, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. This water flows into storm drains, roadside gutters, ditches, and culverts. 2/
In two-thirds of Richmond, stormwater flows directly into the James River or one of it’s tributary streams and creeks. This is why we’re always begging folks to pick up dog poop, be sure not to litter, refrain from washing cars in the streets, fix oil leaks, and more. 3/
In one-third of Richmond, stormwater pipes connect with wastewater infrastructure and flow to the City’s wastewater treatment plant. Parts of this system are more than 150 years old, and combined sewer systems are common in older cities across the nation and the globe. 4/
In Virginia, Richmond, Lynchburg, and Alexandria all have combined sewer systems (CSS). To see exactly where in Richmond is served by the CSS, and the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4 for short), explore our up-to-date map here: cor.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/i… 5/
During dry weather, a combined sewer system works fine—and allows some stormwater to be treated. During heavy rains, however, the combined volume of stormwater and wastewater can overwhelm the system and excess overflows, untreated, into waterways, including the James River. 6/
Have we got your attention? Good, because combined sewer systems are important to understand, be aware of, and, most importantly, to improve and upgrade! Before we get to our continuing work, some more resources for awareness and information first... 7/
Learn more in video format (it’s charmingly informative): 8/
Learn more by scrolling through our new storymap (this is the same one as above with our updated CSS map with all active and separated outfall (overflow) locations): cor.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/i… 9/
Learn more by reading through our dedicated CSS webpage: rvah2o.org/combined-sewer… 10/
If you want a refresher or a deeper dive into stormwater, we’ve got a webpage for that too: rvah2o.org/stormwater/ 11/
This last resource requires action! Sign up to receive notifications for combined sewer overflow (CSO) events—you’ll get an email when one occurs. This notification system prefers it when you use all lowercase letters in your email address, please: apps.richmondgov.com/applications/C… 12/
Alright, folks, we’re just getting to the good stuff—ongoing upgrades and improvements! Let’s talk about what we’ve done so far, what we’re doing now, and what’s coming down the pipe. We’ll talk about what we can all do as individual citizens too. 13/
The way we see it, all of us Richmonders inherited the combined sewer system—none of us are 150+ years old. Instead, we’re all clean water advocates working to fix the system. One way we’ve done this is by disconnecting connected pipes. We’ve separated 21 outfalls to date. 14/
When we separate the pipes, it ensures that wastewater goes to the treatment plant, and stormwater flows directly to the James. We started with 46 outfall locations and we’re down to 25. You can see all closed and active locations on our storymap: cor.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/i… 15/
When you’re out on the James, walking (or biking, or running, or driving, or whatever it is you do!) on its banks, or alongside Shockoe and Gillies creeks where combined sewer outfalls exist, each one is labeled with a sign to keep you informed of what’s happening, and where. 16/
What else have we done, you’re wondering? We’ve created storage! Retention in the Shockoe Retention Basin on Chapel Island holds 50 million gallons of combined flow when it rains or snow melts, and the Hampton-McCloy Tunnel holds 7 million gallons. 17/
Combined waters are held in storage when the wastewater treatment plant is at capacity, which brings us to our beloved wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Currently the WWTP can treat 75 million gallons per day, but not for long! 18/
This year our WWTP is undergoing an exciting upgrade to treat an additional 65 million gallons per day, bringing our daily treatment to 140 million gallons per day. You may just be thinking “sewage, yuck”—but this upgrade is a big deal and important for clean water. 19/
Don’t you worry—there’s more! We’re installing green infrastructure in Richmond too. Green infrastructure is a type of stormwater management practice that mimics nature to reduce and slow stormwater, which helps to keep it out of the combined (and separate) system. 20/
Green infrastructure looks like alleys with permeable pavers or pavement, parking lots with the same, rain gardens, increased tree canopy, installing cisterns and rain barrels to harvest rain running off of rooftops, and encouraging these efforts on private property as well. 21/
You too can benefit from green infrastructure and stormwater management, in more ways than one! You’ll contribute to clean water, and you can earn a stormwater credit. Learn more about the process and what you can do with this guide: richmondgov.com/PublicUtilitie… 22/
Okay, folks, we’ve got more to share but we’ve also got a 1:00 pm meeting about the green infrastructure in the City of Richmond. Learn more about our current work perpetuating green infrastructure with the @AllianceForBay here: allianceforthebay.org/wp-content/upl… We’ll be back in a bit! 23/
Another effort underway is a nifty study to monitor the flow in Richmond’s sewer lines in real time, allowing us to see where there’s additional capacity. Once we identify capacity, we’ll be able to use valves, gates, and weirs to move flow into spaces with room to spare. 24/
One last note about future improvements: Senate Bill 1064 passed earlier this year, which expedites solutions for all combined sewer systems in Virginia. We’re working swiftly to create plans for Richmond, and we’ll share more as our long-term course of action takes shape. 25/
Let’s talk water quality and river recreation for a quick second. When a combined sewer overflow event occurs, it means it’s been raining quite a bit. If it has rained upstream of Richmond, runoff also flows off of farmland into the James, which isn’t desirable either. 26/
The @JRAVirginia’s James River Watch updates on Fridays and is a great look at recreational water quality standards along the James River, upriver and downriver of Richmond too: jamesriverwatch.org/james-river-wa… 27/
All that being said, @VDHgov wisely suggests that you “avoid swimming in natural waters for a few days after a heavy rain event.” vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-haz… 28/
If you’re still following along, first of all, thank you! And secondly, you may have realized that we have our work cut out for us. We can’t do it alone, and we would love your help. Some ideas to get you started: rvah2o.org/take-action-ou… 29/
You can aid in clean water efforts in a variety of ways. Here are three of them:
- advocate for green infrastructure throughout Richmond
- plant a tree
- keep trash off Richmond’s streets and sidewalks (and out of storm drains!) 30/
- advocate for green infrastructure throughout Richmond
- plant a tree
- keep trash off Richmond’s streets and sidewalks (and out of storm drains!) 30/
If you want to help reduce the pressure on the wastewater treatment plant during heavy rains, hold off on washing laundry or running the dishwasher if you can. These household chores only produce a few gallons of wastewater, but every drop counts when you’re eager to help! 31/
Stay tuned for more. We talk about water quality, the James River, stormwater, combined sewers, wastewater, green infrastructure and the work we do all the time. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram, and peruse our website at your leisure: rvah2o.org 32/
Finally, we can’t talk about all these much-needed upgrades, enhancements, and improvements for Richmond’s combined sewer system without talking about finances. We’ve invested $315 million thus far, but, as you can tell, our work isn’t done. 33/
Federal grants provided lots of funding in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but dried up in the ‘90s. Thankfully, there are other funding sources. We are lucky to have wonderful partners at @VirginiaDEQ who have invested in Richmond’s improvements for nearly 40 years. 34/
Most of all, we are lucky to have you—our customers—who invest in our stormwater and wastewater infrastructure and help us bring these upgrades to life. We steward all of these funds with great care in our quest to bring ever-cleaner water to Richmond and the James. 35/
We’re about to rest our tired Twitter thumbs—though our work is not yet done, and our team is working 24/7 to treat your drinking and wastewater (separately, of course) and ensure a healthy James River. Let us know what resonated with you and what questions you have! 36/
We’ll leave you with our author bio: RVAH2O is the City of Richmond’s collaborative clean water initiative. We are working to bring cleaner water faster to Richmond, and to achieve the goals (and specific strategies) of the RVA Clean Water Plan. 37/
The creation of the comprehensive RVA Clean Water Plan was driven by our stakeholders. Learn more about our wonderful partners in Richmond and around the region and find the RVA Clean Water Plan here: rvah2o.org/rva-clean-wate… 38/
Thank you—so much—for reading our combined sewer system Twitter essay. 39/39
