DC Water’s Northeast Boundary Tunnel Project (NEBT) is a technical marvel. One of the largest public infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the nation’s capital, this final portion of the Anacostia River Tunnel system is a five-mile-long, 23-feet diameter tunnel. The NEBT will dramatically reduce the chance of flooding as well as increase the degree of combined sewer overflow (CSO) control provided by the Clean Rivers Project. Since March 2018, the existing Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) system has captured more than 12.1 billion gallons of CSO and 7,500 tons of trash. When the NEBT is placed in operation in 2023, it will add about 90 million gallons of capacity to the 100 million gallons already provided by the operating ART tunnel.

The Northeast Boundary drainage area is in a highly developed section of the District that is served by a combined sewer system and includes neighborhoods such as Trinidad, Ivy City, Brentwood, Eckington, Bloomingdale, and LeDroit Park. The NEBT is designed to provide chronic flood relief to these neighborhoods. While the tunnel boring machine completed its three-year excavation of the NEBT in April 2021, construction continues to connect the city’s combined sewers to the new tunnel. The NEBT will be placed into operation in summer 2023.

Salini Impregilo Healy Joint Venture, DC Water’s design-builder contractor for the NEBT Project, utilizes 55 subcontractors from across the region. The NEBT workforce represents a diverse cross-section of local labor talent including more than 600 residents in DC Water’s service area. The DC Water Works program is an effort to boost local hiring on its projects. To find job openings or to learn more about the DC Water Works program, call 202-787-2308 – or visit dcwater.com/dc-water-works.

To learn more about how the NEBT Project, please visit dcwater.com/nebt.