Neal Augenstein, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – For the first time, the facility that processes drinking water for the District, Arlington County, and the City of Falls Church is leaving the Potomac River better-off than it was when the water began the treatment process.

Until now, the river solids removed during the treatment process at the Washington Aqueduct were flushed back into the river.

The new Water Treatment Residuals Management facility, which opened four months ago, turns the solids into a damp dirt, which is trucked away to approved landfills.

“The problem was we were taking the dirt out of the whole water, and then discharging it at a single point,” says Patty Gamby, deputy general manager of the Aqueduct.

The new facility, located on the grounds of Sibley Hospital, collects residuals from three different reservoirs

Take a tour of the facility:

Follow Neal Augenstein and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)