January 2026: 

USACE will begin closure of all of the groundwater monitoring wells that were installed as part of the Spring Valley FUDS Groundwater project over the past 20 years.  The Final Record of Decision for the Spring Valley Sitewide Groundwater project was approved, and determined that No Action was required for the Groundwater project based on the conclusion that there were no unacceptable risks posed by the groundwater.  

There are 49 monitoring wells that require abandonment, and each of the wells will be abandoned in accordance with District Department of Energy and Environment requirements, which includes pulling (or perforating) the casing and filling the hole with grout. After grouting, the surface will be restored to create a final cover similar to that of the surrounding area (eg., cold patch, or native soils).  

Most of the wells are located on Washington Aqueduct, American University, and Sibley Hospital properties, and other wells are located in the Spring Valley neighborhood.  For wells located in the neighborhood, the locations are in the street or just off the curb, and not on private property.  Where necessary, USACE will have appropriate traffic control plans in place. The work will look very much like any other utility work, with a drill rig (large truck) located over the monitoring well. Most of the wells will take approximately 4 hours to abandon, although a few of the deeper wells may take up to 2 days.      

 Well abandonment on American University will begin the week of Jan. 5, 2026.  Work on wells in the neighborhood, where traffic control will be implemented, is expected to start on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and will take a total of approximately 3 weeks to complete.