Our Story
Our History
From the very beginning, AlexRenew was a solution, a mission, and a commitment. What began as a goal to reduce water pollution in the Potomac River turned into a focused effort to greatly improve water quality over time, and evolved into a lifetime promise to our community of Alexandria to always provide a public health service and beyond.
It might be hard to imagine, but in 1952, the National Capital region dumped its waste directly into the Potomac River. The river was choked with raw sewage, posing a public health threat from cholera, hepatitis, dysentery, and other diseases associated with untreated sewage. The following video by the Izaak Walton League shows the impact of the sewage on the Potomac River during that time.
In 1952, the Alexandria City Council created the Alexandria Sanitation Authority (ASA), to build, operate, and maintain a new sewage treatment system to serve the City and parts of Fairfax County, which made good engineering and financial sense.
AlexRenew Historical Timeline
1800s - First sewer system installed in the City of Alexandria. Click here to read more about Alexandria's early sewer history.
1948 - Congress passes Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
1952 - Alexandria City Council creates the Alexandria Sanitation Authority (ASA), the first Authority in Virginia.
1956 - ASA plant goes into operation, treating sewage 24/7, 365 days a year.
1970 - First Earth Day. Pollution-fueled algae in the Chesapeake Bay create “dead zones.”
1971 - VA’s Potomac Embayment standards limit the amount of pollution in water discharges.
1972 - Clean Water Act enacted. ASA begins first upgrade and expansion.
1984 - ASA completes construction of expansion and upgrade to advanced wastewater treatment.
1987 - Bay Agreement signed to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in the Chesapeake.
1999 - ASA begins construction to upgrade and meet new Commonwealth and regional standards to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
2002-2003 - Initial operation of nitrogen system begins to reduce algae blooms in local waterways. Nitrogen discharge from plant reduced by 80%.
2005 - VA issues regulations requiring greater reduction of nitrogen discharge. ASA completes full facility upgrade.
2009 - Work begins on State-of-the-Art Nitrogen Upgrade Program (SANUP).
2012 - On Earth Day 2012, Alexandria Sanitation Authority became Alexandria Renew Enterprises to reflect our new, broader vision to serve as a water resource recovery facility.
2016 - SANUP, $160-million upgrade program completed.
2017 - AlexRenew receives its 12th year of no permit violations. The Environmental Center is certified LEED Platinum.
2018 - AlexRenew receives its 13th year of no permit violations. NACWA honors AlexRenew with its Excellence in Management Platinum Recognition.
Today, our award-winning facility is a model for safe, innovative wastewater treatment. Our team is proud to serve over 300,000 people in the City of Alexandria and parts of Fairfax County by cleaning over 13 billion gallons of wastewater every year.