Fairfax County’s public works department can now move forward with a new wastewater pump station to replace a more than 50-year-old one near Alexandria.
At its meeting last Wednesday (June 24), the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for the Jones Point Pump Station upgrade project.
The pump station, which helps move wastewater through the county’s sewer system, is located at 5800 Hunting Creek Road in Huntington. It’s near the Richmond Highway (Route 1) and I-495 interchange on a 35-acre property that includes several large apartment complexes. It was constructed in 1972 and last rehabilitated in 1997.
Officials will construct a new pump station at the site, increasing capacity from 1.43 million gallons per day to 1.48 million gallons per day.
According to Natasha Schmidt, a project manager for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), there are leaks and corrosion evident in the building, and it’s not suitable to retrofit to modern standards.
The county’s project page says the extra capacity will improve reliability, reduce backups and help accommodate projected flows through at least 2045.
The project also calls for a new control and storage building, an emergency standby generator and new utility infrastructure. It would include a new access road from a cul-de-sac in the Huntington Mews neighborhood.
“The control/storage building is approximately 266 square feet in size and approximately 12.9 feet in height,” county staff said in a report for the planning commission. “The relatively small scale of the building and below-grade nature of much of the facility reduce potential visual impacts to surrounding properties.”
The facility’s location underground will also reduce noise impacts from the pump station’s operations, which are expected to occur continuously with maintenance staff visiting one to three times a week, the staff report says.
The emergency power generator “is expected to operate approximately 30 minutes per month for testing purposes and includes a sound attenuation enclosure rated at approximately 55 [decibels] at full load,” according to the report.
The project is estimated to cost $9.9 million and is funded through sewer use and connection fees. Construction is expected to start in winter 2027 and finish by summer 2028.
The proposal does not need further approval by the county’s Board of Supervisors. The planning commission signed off on it under a state-required review for the compatibility of proposed public facilities with a locality’s land-use plans.
