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EPA Awards $11.2 Million Grant for D.C. Drinking Water Project

Release Date: 11/20/2001
Contact Information: Roy Seneca 215-814-5567

Contact:  Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567
PHILADELPHIA – The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $11,221,859 grant to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), to help rehabilitate the Bryant Street pumping station in Washington, D.C.

“With this grant, we join WASA in fulfilling the government’s commitment to the Washington D.C. community. WASA has made significant progress since its inception in 1996 by improving drinking water quality and the health of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

The Bryant Street pumping station, which delivers potable water to about 500,000 residents plus commercial and government customers, is WASA’s principal pumping station. The station, originally constructed in 1904, was last renovated in 1954. It has an installed pump capacity of 310 million gallons per day in 11 pumping units, and pumps to four different service zones.

This funding will help pay for a proposed rehabilitation project to improve reliability of service, energy efficiency, and operational flexibility to meet changing demands. Major costs are associated with the replacement or renewal of critical mechanical systems (pumps, motors, valves, and automated zone flow control systems) and the electrical power system that serve the facility.

The total estimated cost of the rehabilitation project is $35 million. The new grant will pay for 80 percent of the eligible project cost of $14,027,324.