July 11, 2024 — By Lynchburg Water Resources

Blackwater CSO Tunnel construction to begin in July 2024

LYNCHBURG, Virginia — Lynchburg Water Resources (LWR) would like to announce that construction of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel will begin in the coming weeks. The Blackwater CSO Tunnel Project, called LYHBeyond, is a major investment in the protection of Lynchburg’s cherished waterways and the largest capital improvement project in the City of Lynchburg’s history. It will be the City’s most impactful project to date to protect our streams and the James River from combined sewer overflows (CSO).

The Blackwater CSO Tunnel will be a nearly mile-long, 12-foot in diameter underground tunnel – between 70 to 120 feet beneath the Blackwater Creek – that can collect and store up to 4.7 million gallons of combined sewage and stormwater during significant rainfalls, keeping that wastewater from overflowing into Lynchburg’s waterways.

“Over 800 cities nationwide have combined sewer systems. The City of Lynchburg has been nationally recognized as having one of the most proactive programs to reduce and eliminate combined sewer overflows,” said Tim Mitchell, Director of Lynchburg Water Resources. “In fact, as a result of the CSO Program we have eliminated over one billion gallons of combined sewage discharging into our waterways annually.”

“This project is the culmination of over 4 decades of work and over $400 million in total investment to restore water quality in the streams in Lynchburg and the James River,” Mitchell added. “Upon completion of LYHBeyond, only a few relatively small CSO projects will remain.”

Atkinson Construction has been awarded LWR’s construction contract for the tunnel. Stantec has been contracted for planning, design, and project management. The total cost of the project is $103.9 million, $50 million of which is federally funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The Blackwater CSO Tunnel will run from a new CSO 52 Drop Shaft facility on the Point of Honor Trail to a Downtown CSO Pump Station being built at the bottom of 7th Street. The 7th Street location and the CSO 52 areas will be the main construction sites during the project. Here’s what to know:

• Atkinson Construction will begin mobilization around July 22 at the 7th Street site

• For the first few months, citizens can expect typical construction noise at the 7th Street site

• Later in the project, drill-and-blast excavation will be used to clear the tunnel’s path

• A portion of Point of Honor Trail will be temporarily closed for part of the project

• Citizens will be informed prior to drill-and-blast operations and the temporary trail closure

• Construction of the tunnel will take about three years to complete

• Construction updates will be shared at www.lyhbeyond.org and through Lynchburg Water Resources’ social media pages, @LynchburgH2O

LYHBeyond is the latest project in the City’s 45-year CSO program aimed at reducing combined sewer overflows. Since 1979, the City has eliminated 115 of its 132 original sewer overflow points, resulting in a 93 percent reduction of wastewater entering our waterways. Once completed, the Blackwater CSO Tunnel will reduce these overflows even further, bringing overall reduction to 98 percent.

Some of the key benefits of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel include:

• Protecting public health

• Improving water quality and protecting aquatic life in the Blackwater Creek and James River

• Providing adequate sewer capacity for future growth in Lynchburg and surrounding counties

• Serving as an essential project needed for the completion of the City’s CSO program

For up-to-date information on the Blackwater CSO Tunnel Project, visit www.lyhbeyond.org. Please call Lynchburg Water Resources at 434.455.4250 if you have any questions.