Sewer pipe begins to arrive on Shore

Pictured: laid out sewage pipe on the Railroad right of way on Route 13 north of Exmore.

Astute observers traveling on Route 13 in the Exmore area may have noticed over the last few days pipe beginning to be laid out down the railroad right of way.

Phil Hubbard, the project manager with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District(HRSD), says the process is now underway by Garney Construction, the company awarded the contract for construction.

One final regulatory hurdle remains to allow the project to proceed in full. HRSD is currently waiting for the approval of an environmental assessment approval by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality which is expected any day.

This leg of the project will encompass just over 20 miles using 122,000 feet of pipe from Nassawadox to Onancock, with a total price tag of $22.8 million, which will be paid by HRSD and not local tax dollars.

When it is finished, estimated to be June 30, 2023, HRSD will provide water and sewer from Nassawadox north through Exmore, branch out east into Wachapreague, west into the Industrial Park in Melfa, north through Onley and then culminate at the Onancock Treatment Plant. New pump stations are planned for Exmore, Nassawadox and Wachapreague, and HRSD will be taking over several of Accomack County’s pump stations as well as the Riverside Health treatment plant in Nassawadox.

Currently there are talks on going about expanding their operations to Chincoteague Island, which could possibly include the operations at Wallops pending the outcome of an ongoing study.

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