Gwinnett finishes tunnel-boring phase

By Shane Blatt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The new three-mile long No Business Creek tunnel in southern Gwinnett County has "holed through,” Lynn Smarr, acting director of the Gwinnett Department of Water Resources, announced Wednesday.

This means that the tunnel-boring machine, which started at the No Business Creek pump station site, drilled through to the end shaft at the Jacks Creek Water Reclamation Facility site.

The No Business Creek tunnel will transport wastewater flows from the No Business Creek and Jacks Creek drainage basins in the southern end of the county to either the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center near Buford or the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility near Lilburn, Smarr said. The tunnel will allow wastewater to be pumped at a steady rate rather than having to meet peak flows at high usage times, she said.

The tunnel-boring work began 13 months ago and was performed primarily in deep, solid rock under Springdale and Everson roads. The $54 million tunnel, which is expected to go into service next summer, ranges from nearly 200 feet to 80 feet deep.