Sewer Pump Station 27 Update

by Councilman Scott Peters
for the La Jolla Village News
November 2005

Many residents have asked me about the construction on Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla Shores. The area has been torn up and dusty for over two years. The construction and road closure is due to the updating of Sewer Pump Station ("SPS") 27, and should be completed by February 2006.

In 2001, the City Council embarked on an aggressive Sewer Spill Reduction Program. The key elements of this program included: 1) cleaning all 3,000 miles of the Municipal Sewerage System completed in 2004; 2) televising 1,200 miles of the oldest and most problematic sewer lines in the system; and 3) an increase in the number of miles of sewer lines replaced or rehabilitated from 15 miles per year to 45 miles per year.

The results of this program have been dramatic. The City recorded 365 sewer spills in 2000. After four years of hard work by dedicated City crews, the number of sewer spills was reduced to 167 spills. The program's success is also apparent in the reduction of beach closures as a result of sewer spills. In 2000, there were 33 sewer spills that reached public waters. In 2004, there were only nine such spills-over a 60 percent reduction.

The success of the program continues–in the first nine months of 2005 there have only been 49 sewer spills, and the total number of spills by the end of 2005 is projected to be well under 100.

The new SPS will ensure that La Jolla Shores sewage system will meet all future challenges. As part of the current construction project, SPS 27 will be equipped with new pumps and pipes, new motors, new electrical systems, a remodeled wet well, a new odor control system, a new emergency storage tank below ground and a new standby generator below ground. The new SPS will now also be connected to the secondary force main built in 2001 to provide redundancy to every component of the SPS in case of equipment failure or a power outage.

Construction of the new SPS 27 started in September of 2002 with AES construction, but progress was slow. Shortly after taking possession of the site the first indicators of financial difficulties on the side of the contractor surfaced and in early 2003 the contractor filed for Chapter 11. This brought progress to a complete stop until the City negotiated a take over agreement with the bonding company of the original contractor. This process was completed in September of 2003 and the new contractor, Orion Construction, took over the project.

The old pipes and storage tanks have been removed from the old SPS and replaced with new piping and a 35-foot deep storage tank. Since the scheduled work forced the contractor to close Avenida de la Playa, the City decided to replace a water main and a sewer main which had caused complaints of odor in the past as part of the project. That work has been completed and the road has been reopened.

Unfortunately, the project has encountered its share of delays during construction. In addition to the first contractor’s financial issues, the City was forced to redesign the electrical system during construction to meet the latest requirements and the decision was made to add an odor control system that was not part of the original design.

Nonetheless, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the most challenging portions of the project are now complete. A sigh of relief was heard throughout the Shores community when the closed portion of Avenida de la Playa was opened at the end of October.

The City plans to finish construction by December of 2005. At that time the SPS 27 will be completed and Laureate Park (formerly Mata Park) will be restored to its pre-construction. The commemorative concrete slabs that were donated by the residents and businesses will be reinstalled and new grass, electric and irrigation systems will be installed. The park will again be open to the public by February.

The Laureate Park Committee continues to seek input into their Nobel Laureate themed design and pursue fundraising for their park project.

I thank all of the business owners and residents in the Shores area for their patience throughout this arduous and noisy process. Please feel free to contact me for more information at scottpeters@sandiego.gov.