Utility Consults Army to Replace Water Mains in Spring Valley

A city initiative to replace aging water mains in the neighborhood of last year’s devastating fire on Chain Bridge Road ran headfirst last week into one of the facts of life in Spring Valley: buried munitions. Representatives from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority told the area advisory neighborhood commission last week that in addition to Chain Bridge Road, portions of Glenbrook Road, Woodway Lane and Rockwood Parkway would be dug up in order to replace the water mains.

But the Army Corps of Engineers has told residents that sections of those roads cover potential munitions caches, commissioners said. “They have said they don’t want to disturb the site,” said commissioner Tom Smith ... According to a spokesperson for the District Department of the Environment, there is a slight possibility that chemical munitions could be found under the roadways.
Northwest Current
November 10, 2010 (pg. 1)