Enhancing Clean Water Resilience and Infrastructure

Clark Water is working with local municipalities to ensure safe drinking water is always available

Clark Water makes it possible for millions of people to enjoy clean water daily. With the maintenance and provision of clean water being one of the most pivotal health measures for our communities, water engineering is more crucial than ever. The projects in Clark Water’s portfolio support this mission, impacting the long-term health and sustainability well beyond the communities they serve.

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In Loudoun County, Virginia, crews are transforming an abandoned rock quarry into a reservoir for clean drinking water at the Milestone Reservoir Raw Water Pump Station project. The reservoir will provide one billion gallons of raw water storage capacity to supply the Trap Rock Water Treatment Facility during periods of low flow due to drought or contamination in the Potomac River, providing an estimated 30-day supply of clean drinking water for the surrounding area. Alongside Shirley Contracting Company, the Clark Water team will install three tunnels connecting the pump station to the quarry, ensuring water supply continues efficiently regardless of low-flow conditions. Only the third rock quarry conversion in the country, and the second completed by Clark, Milestone Reservoir not only restores the immediate environment surrounding the site by transforming the previously barren quarry into a fresh water source for vegetation and wildlife, but also provides significant long-term health protection for the residents of Loudoun County. 

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While too little water can strain our water systems, too much water can lead to significant health and environmental issues. A crucial aspect of promoting clean water is enhancing sewage programs. At the CSO 52 Tunnel and Pump Station in Lynchburg, Virginia with Guy F. Atkinson Construction, and the Shockoe Diversion Structure Trash Rake and Crest Gate in Richmond with Shirley, Clark Water is working with local municipalities to prevent sewage overflows into local waterways. Both currently have combined sewer systems that overflow during high-flow situations. Clark Water is working to upgrade these systems, eliminating the contamination of local water sources.

On both projects, teams are building storage facilities that will alleviate storm and sewage water influx. The systems, however, require two different approaches to achieve this goal. In Lynchburg, during times of overflow, untreated water will be routed into a massive one-mile tunnel and a 100-by-35-foot holding shaft before being introduced into the treatment plant once water levels return to normal. In Richmond, crews will replace two existing gates that redirect the flow of water during high-water situations towards a retention basin. Both projects will protect the surrounding communities and environment by ensuring only clean water is released back into the river.

These projects aim to provide clean water and protect our environment. Working with local municipalities, Clark Water is protecting vital bodies of water, and in turn, countless communities and ecosystems within these cities and as far as the rivers flow.