PHOTOS: Old Town Alexandria Flooding Before Hurricane Florence Visits

Mary Wadland September 10, 2018

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UPDATE--These waters had receded by Wednesday, Sept 12, 2018 but this was the river flow in Old Town, Alexandria on- 09/09/18. Video thanks to Maggie Nicoletti Posted by The Zebra Press - GOOD News in Alexandria, VA on Sunday, September 9, 2018

ALEXANDRIA, VA–On Sunday, September 9, the waters rose and kept rising. Members of the Alexandria Police Department were helping people from a little inflatable boat at the base of King and Union Streets.

On Monday morning, the waters were measuring close to two feet, and the City started passing out sandbags for free to town residents. Many shops were blocked with sandbags and closed, but restaurants like Chadwicks posted on social media that they were open for business and serving food.

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Warning about the Waters

Residents are reminded not to walk through the open waters because of contamination with open sewer lines that dump into the Potomac. The City has remnants of a 200-year old sewer system that is in the process of being rectified, but it will take years to correct. The legislature has put a 2025 deadline on the City, and recently City Council approved turning over ownership all of the archaic sewer lines to Alexandria Renew Enterprises. The project, branded RiverRenew, will be monumental, but the agency has the ability and structure to manage and implement the changes as efficiently as possible. Until that all happens, the water is NOT safe.