District of Columbia students will have the opportunity to name a massive $30 million tunnel boring machine, which will be used to bore an 18-mile tunnel more than 100 feet beneath the Anacostia River.

DC Water has launched a Name the Tunnel Boring Machine contest to bring awareness to the Clean Rivers Project, a 20-year, $2.6 billion project, designed to reduce overflows to the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek. This is the largest construction project in the history of DC Water, and the District’s largest since Metro was built.

“We are happy to share this moment in our history with students here in the District,” said DC Water General Manager George Hawkins. “Like similar contests in Seattle and Toronto, we are providing a fun, educational activity involving our project.”

Each class in a District public, public charter or private school is invited to submit name ideas until May 25, 2012. DC Water will accept entries from individual classes or schools. The goal of the contest is to engage and educate students about the importance of this sustainable project and its impact on the health of the District’s waterways.

The winning school will have its winning name painted on the tunneling machine and be part of a launch event. DC Water will also sponsor a party this summer to celebrate the winners of the contest.

For more information on the Clean Rivers Project, videos, contest rules and guidelines, please visit our website at dcwater.com/cleanrivers. Students and schools can also visit the DC Water Facebook page.

To obtain additional information about the contest, contact David Barney at david.barney@dcwater.com or (202) 787-4447.