Sewer project hits snag

Drivers should not be taken in by road signs reading that the detours on Glenneyre Street will end on May 9 or even by the end of May.

A significant glitch in the rehabilitation of the Bluebird Canyon Pump Station at the intersection of Catalina, Glenneyre and Calliope streets has forced the extension of the detour by almost a month. The new date by which the street is expected to open is June 23, said David Shissler, director of Water Quality.

Glenneyre is closed from the intersection to Bluebird Canyon Drive and the closure so far has not been intermittent, as posted.

“Drivers can get the latest information about the project at www.clwq.net,� Shissler said.

The extension of the closure was required because a contractor hit a Laguna Beach County Water District line and the pump station had to be temporarily bypassed to allow workers to remove all the rock and debris that had been washed into the wetwell through a large hole in the top of the sewer pipe connecting a manhole to the pump station and sucked into two of the four pumps.

Repairs were made to the pipe, which was scheduled to be abandoned when the new construction was completed, restoring full operation of all four pumps.

“The bypass was successful, the station operation was secured and after a substantial delay the work has resumed,� Shissler said.

Meantime, southbound traffic on Glenneyre must continue to detour at Cress Street, except for local traffic from Cress to Calliope. Northbound traffic on Glenneyre is still diverted to South Coast Highway at Bluebird Canyon Drive. Galen Drive will also be temporarily closed while the project is underway and parking on the south side of Galen will be restricted during the entire construction. Parking restrictions might be expanded to Bluebird and/or Glenneyre, as needed, according to the website.

Maps showing the detours, road closures and restricted parking are also illustrated on the website.

The rehabilitation of the South Orange County Wastewater Authority lift station is its first major overhaul since it was built in the late 1970s.

Sewage flows to the pump station from north of the city and from the hills except for Arch Beach Heights and from the pump station to the SOCWA Coastal Treatment Plant where wastewater is collected, treated, reused and disposed. A minimum of full secondary treatment is provided.

Laguna is one of the 17 cities and communities served by SOCWA, with a total population of approximately 500,000 in some 220 square miles of the Aliso Creek, Salt Creek Laguna Canyon Creek and San Juan Creek watersheds.

Completion of the Bluebird project will conclude recovery from spills in April and October of last year, according to officials. The October spill was described as the second worst spill in Southern California in almost a decade, a consequence of damage done while repairing a deteriorated clamp in the North Coast Interceptor that channels raw sewage to the treatment plant.

The pump station was already slated for rehabilitation when the spill occurred.

Odor and noise control were primary goals of the project, as well as greatly extending the life of the pump station,

The project is slated to be finished in August.