Covanta Alexandria/Arlington

Elevated Noise at the Covanta Alexandria Waste-to-Energy Facility

On Sunday, July 5, a steam valve at the Covanta Alexandria Waste-to-Energy Facility malfunctioned, leading to elevated noise from the facility. The steam valve normally vents excess steam used to generate power and is not audible. The valve malfunctioned in the open position, causing more than normal quantities of steam to leak to the vent leading to the noise.

We understand the frustration caused by the noise and we are working as quickly as possible to have a replacement valve delivered and installed. We anticipate the repair will be completed as early as Wednesday, July 8. We are committed to expediting this fix to ensure that our high operating standards are upheld. In the meantime, Covanta plans to shut down the steam turbine at 9 pm July 6 to reduce noise levels during the overnight period. The turbine will be restarted the following morning so that peak power demand is met. The turbine will be shut down again the evening of July 7 to prepare for repairs and will restart after repairs are completed.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Should any neighbors have concerns or questions, please contact Covanta’s Asset Manager, Don Cammarata at 571-552-8149 or dcammarata@covanta.com. We will also provide updates on this webpage.