Construction is about to begin on a new wastewater pump station for Tysons West.
Fairfax County officials will break ground on the 25-million-gallon facility at 8608 Leesburg Pike with a celebratory ceremony at 3:30 p.m. this Wednesday (Nov. 20).
Replacing an existing pump station on the site that only manages 1 million gallons of water per day, the upgrade is the first part of a $110 million project to enhance the infrastructure that carries wastewater from northern Fairfax County to the Noman Cole Pollution Control Plant in Lorton, where it’s treated.
Approved by the Fairfax County Planning Commission in October 2023, the project will also deliver a new gravity sewer, adding approximately 2 miles of pipeline linking the pump station to individual customers, and a new force main to transport the water about 5.5 miles to the Lorton plant.
While the gravity sewer work will be concentrated in Tysons, the force main will be routed around the Town of Vienna to Hunter Mill Road, ultimately connecting with an existing Accotink sewer line at Route 123. Both components are currently in the design phase with construction expected to begin in fall 2025.
“Collectively the project will decrease the risk of wastewater overflows and back-ups during periods of high wastewater flows,” the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) said in a press release.
According to DPWES, years of planning have gone into the wastewater enhancement project, which is being funded by one-time sewer service fees charged to new customers when they connect to the county’s system.
Located on a 3-acre site that’s otherwise currently undeveloped, the new, 11,200-square-foot pump station will feature four pumps, including one backup, and a storage tank that can hold up to 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel for the 2,500-square-foot generator building that will power the facility.
The pumps are designed to be energy-efficient, and odor and noise controls will be in place, according to the project page.
DPWES says it’ll provide periodic updates on construction to residents and businesses near the pump station.
“It is estimated that construction impacts will last for only a few days in one location along the pipeline as the work progresses quickly,” the project page says. “Impacted stakeholders will be notified in advance of construction activities. Some of the construction will be performed using trenchless methods to reduce the impact to roads and traffic.”
As construction on the Tysons West project gets underway, concerns are already swirling among residents regarding similar wastewater infrastructure improvements planned for Tysons East.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) on whether it should use its eminent domain powers to acquire a residential property for a pump station at 1310 Scotts Run Road in McLean.
However, Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman intends to request that the hearing be indefinitely deferred so DPWES can “identity and consider alternative commercial parcels for the station,” according to his office.
The hearing was originally set for Oct. 8, but it got delayed to give staff more time for negotiations with the property owner and outreach to the wider community.
