Dig Greenville work starting soon

Physical work on the $46 million Dig Greenville project will start within the next few weeks, but the actual boring of the new tunnel system under downtown likely won’t start until late 2018, officials with Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) said Tuesday night.

Dig Greenville is the largest ever underground tunnel project in Greenville history and will feature a roughly one-mile long gravity sewer tunnel that will be 100 feet below ground spanning from Hudson Street to Cleveland Park.

A massive boring machine will create the tunnel that will span roughly one mile long, according to members of the project engineering team, Black & Veatch. That work won’t occur until late 2018.

However, crews will be starting prep work in the area of the Greenville Zoo in the coming weeks and access shaft blasting and prep work will occur during most of 2018, said Graham W. Rich, ReWa’s executive director.

Rich and others addressed site work details heavily during a community meeting Tuesday night. Some highlights include:

• Blasting is only allowed Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m, and only for shafts and tunnel launch.
• Maximum vibration levels are established at levels to prevent damage and based on industry standards. Vibrations will be monitored during construction.
• Granite dust / particulate matter will be monitored pre?construction and during construction and kept below industry standards. OSHA limits to be adhered to onsite for worker safety.
• There will be no negative impacts in air quality to adjacent neighborhoods.

“ReWa’s first mission it to protecting the environment,” Rich said. “That will not change on this project.”

In addition, ReWa has requested a noise variance from the city for several reasons. The nighttime noise levels are not expected to rise above 55db, which is the sound of a normal conversation.

• Variance will allow Black & Veatch to offset unforeseen schedule impacts during tunneling.
• It is estimated it will complete the project six months faster than expected.
• There is an estimated savings of $1.4 million on the project.

Dig Greenville is needed because the current system for the Reedy River Basin, which affects downtown Greenville all the way to Travelers Rest, is nearing capacity. This project will be able to handle the basin’s needs for the next 100 years. While the project is a long-term solution, Dig Greenville will also be meeting immediate needs by providing an increased buffer against sewer surcharges due to inflow and infiltration during rain events.

About Black & Veatch:
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in power, oil and gas, water, telecommunications and government services. For nearly 75 years, Black & Veatch’s water business has provided reliable, innovative solutions in water and wastewater treatment as well as conveyance infrastructure for communities in the Carolinas. For more information, visit www.bv.com.

About Renewable Water Resources:
ReWa’s mission is to improve our community’s quality of life by transforming wastewater into renewable resources through responsible and innovative solutions. ReWa serves more than 400,000 industrial, commercial and residential customers in Greenville County and parts of Anderson, Spartanburg, Pickens and Laurens Counties. For more information about the Agency, visit www.rewaonline.org.