The next phase of construction to create a new city reservoir will officially begin Wednesday, June 29, at the former Bellwood Quarry. Mayor Kasim Reed will join Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Kishia L. Powell and city leaders to mark the milestone.
During the event, a truck will arrive with a 54,000-pound, 30-foot main beam that will make up just one part of the 400-foot-long tunnel boring machine. Altogether, more than 70 trucks will bring the tunnel boring machine components to be assembled on the quarry floor.
In September, the tunnel boring machine will start its five-mile journey to the Chattahoochee River, linking the river, the Hemphill and Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plants to a new 2.4 billion gallon water storage facility at the quarry.
In March 2016, the city began blasting two 400-foot shafts for future pump stations at the quarry, the first step building the future reservoir, which will hold a 30-day water supply. The quarry is also part of the future Westside Reservoir Park along the Atlanta BeltLine.