LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The most expensive Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) project in history is now in service.
The Waterway Protection Tunnel stretches 4 miles from the intersection of North 12th and Rowan streets to the intersection of Grinstead Drive and Lexington Road.
It was created to store more than 5 billion gallons of rainwater and wastewater underground until it can be pumped to a wastewater treatment facility and cleaned before it is released into the Ohio River.
"While it is well underground and our customers will likely never see it, the tunnel will be at work every day, preventing sewer overflows and protecting Louisville's health and safety," MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott said in a news release.
Work on the $221 million project started in 2018.
The tunnel is designed to prevent sewage from overflowing in the city’s waterways during significant rain events. It should capture approximately 439 million gallons of overflow during the typical year. The tunnel is one of several projects in the city’s more than $1 billion plan to meet the federal consent decree.
A steady decline of about 40 feet from one end of the tunnel to the other will allow stormwater to flow to a treatment facility before being pumped back into the Ohio River. Right now, most stormwater runs into the river or Beargrass Creek, creating pollution and flooding concerns.Â
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- MSD stormwater tunnel nearing completion 200 feet beneath Louisville
- 'Sins of the past' | MSD puts cap on $200M tunnel project to protect Ohio River
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