Here is the entire presentation in PDF format as requested…
City of LA Venice VDFM LABS (PDF), Sean Zahedi, PE, Project Manager
By Wendy Wert
On May 20, 2010, the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) Los Angeles Basin Section (LABS) presented a regional composting update at the Monterey Hill Steakhouse in Monterey Park. The featured speaker was Jeff Ziegenbein, Deputy Manager of Operations for Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility (IERCF). The IERCA was created in 2002 by a joint powers agreement between the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) and the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (CSDLAC). The agencies have evaluated composting as an economically and environmentally sound method of beneficially reusing biosolids from publically owned treatment works (POTWs).
By Alec Mackie, LABS Corporate Director
The City’s Bureau of Engineering has completed design work on a critically needed second sewer force main to manage peak flows from the Venice Pumping Plant to the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City is ready to start building the $60 million, 2 mile force main but a new court case has stopped the project.
From damaged cars to flooded homes, residents in a large area surrounding Termino Avenue have been battling winter storm runoff waters for years.
Now, a major storm drain project is expected to alleviate flood prone areas in Belmont Heights, Alamitos Heights, Recreation Park and neighborhoods around Wilson High School.
The Termino Avenue Storm Drain Project, which consists of about 8,100 feet of underground piping, is designed to reduce flooding, filter trash and ultimately decrease the flow of polluted runoff water into Colorado Lagoon.
The project began last fall and is expected to take about two years to complete, with occasional street closures during construction. The main piping will stretch diagonally from Redondo Avenue and 12th Street all the way to Marine Stadium.
The $22.6 million public works project, funded by the city and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, utilizes a high-capacity main line and filters to block trash, grease and oil from flowing into catch basins. Its low-flow diversion system directs runoff away from coastal waters and into the sewer system.
The project is being developed through a partnership between the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, and several other water agencies that do not include the Central Basin Municipal Water District.
Photo: Municipal Sewer and Water Magazine
GIS and mapping technology help the City of Long Beach chart a course for effective water system maintenance, capital improvement, and community outreach
“Out in the field, having GIS incorporated into the survey process has made my life a lot easier,” says Chris Blevins, water utility mechanic III in the CCTV Group, Sewer Operations. “With the map system on the truck, I can go directly to the GIS map through software, highlight the pipe I’m about to televise, and create my survey. It will automatically populate the manhole names, their numbers, the depths, what material it is and any other information that is available.”
AECOM is providing environmental engineering support to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) as part of its Green Port Policy and continuing plan to minimize impacts of its operations, and reduce air and water pollution. AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental and energy.
Shopping carts, tires or furniture floating down the Los Angeles River and into the San Pedro Bay could be a thing of the past.
A major environmental project to help 16 cities capture tons of their trash before it enters the Los Angeles River moved forward when a regional authority awarded a $5 million contract funded with federal stimulus monies Thursday.
Photo: Psomas. Artist’s rendition of the South Los Angeles Wetland Park. The park will feature trails, boardwalks, and observation decks.
Los Angeles, CA, is a city famous for its pavement. What other city lauds a mere concrete slab as a notable tourist attraction? However, apart from the landmark Hollywood Walk of Fame, life, like the concrete, can be a little harder. Mile upon mile of freeways and boulevards, punctuated by parking lots and service facilities, sprawl over the region, distancing residents from the pleasures and benefits only nature can provide.
Until recently, public works departments across the country have shown a similar affinity for pavement, as have the road builders and developers. Sean Vargas, senior project manager with Psomas Engineering, says the rationale “was basically flood control. You were just trying to prevent a capital flood from causing damage to public health and safety. They were just draining these very highly urbanized watersheds to paved channels and discharging directly into the ocean, with no treatment.” The same was true in Los Angeles.
Thus, untreated stormwater, carrying with it metals from the roadways, nutrients, bacteria, and other contaminants, flowed right to the oceanfront beaches, making the region’s parks even less safe and less accessible.
Los Angeles was saddled with two major quality of life problems: a critical parks deficit within the city, and severely polluted stormwater flowing from city streets and storm drains into the rivers and beaches.
Read more about the development of the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park
Residents in environmentally sensitive areas of Malibu will have until 2019 to hook-up to a wastewater treatment system. The Civic Center area has until 2015 to comply. The LA Times notes the long running argument over septic systems versus sewer system dates back to 1991 when the city was first incorporated.
“The lack of adequate sanitation is a basic public nuisance issue,” said Madelyn Glickfeld, a Regional Water Quality Control Board Member who lives in Point Dume. “Here we are in one of the richest cities in the U.S., and we have sewage running down the street.”
The City has already started construction on a stomrwater treatment plant called Legacy Park.
City of Los Angeles and Santa Monica low flow diversion projects (low flow stormwater is sent to wastewater treatment plants for clean-up) (credit: City of LA)
The California State Water Resources Control Board released a list of projects receiving stimulus funds. The stimulus funding is almost all gone and projects have been selected – now it’s time to kick construction into high-gear and get to work!
THE SWRCB is in charge of selecting wastewater/stormwater projects for Federal Stimulus funding after California received $280-million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The stimulus funds were approved by the and President in February as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Projects must start digging or be under contract by February 17, 2010. The SWRCB estimates hundreds of jobs will be created by these projects. The ARRA funding is a mix of stimulus dollars and regularly allocated Clean Water Start Revolving Fund dollars – the SWRCB has simply lumped the projects together under a “Stimulus Projects” heading.
Los Angeles County projects announced so far:
- City of Los Angeles – Santa Monica Bay Low Flow Diversions Upgrades – $4,340,000
- City of Long Beach – Colorado Lagoon Beaches Restoration – $3,200,000
- City of Long Beach – LA River VSS Unit – $583,000
- City of Hermosa Beach – Hermosa Strand Infiltration Trench – $950,850
- City of Redondo Beach – Sapphaire Storm Drain Low Flow Diversion – $200,000
- City of Los Angeles – Mar Vista Recreation Center Stormwater Treatment Retrofit – $1,766,568
- Water Replenishment District (Lakewood) - Vander Lans Advanced Water Treatment Facility Expansion – $478,750 Bureau of Reclamation grant
- Central Basin Municipal Water District (Commerce) - Southeast Water Reliability Project Phase 1 (expanded use of recycled water) – $5,600,000 B of R grant
- Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District – City of Industry new water recycling facility – $4,850,000 B of R grant
- Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District – Rosemead recycled water expansion project – $750,000 B of R grant
- Long Beach Water Dept. – Desalination Research and Development Project – $3,006,005 – B of R grant
- City of Malibu – Paradise Cove Stormwater Treatment System - $816,276
- Greater Los Angeles County Integrated Regional Water Mgmt Authority - Catch basin inserts in several Los Angeles cities - $10,000,000
- City of Los Angeles – Terminal Island Renewable Energy (T.I.R.E.) deep well biosolids injection/energy recovery project - $4,800,000 DOE grant – New!
- City of Redondo Beach – Alta Vista Diversion and Reuse Project - $2,200,000 - New!
- City of Hermosa Beach – Pier Avenue Improvments – $1,265,000 - New!
- Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation - Ballona Creek Rain Gardens Project - $1,889,6692 - New!
A Long Beach wastewater recycling project will receive Federal funding as part of legislation the Senate passed last week. The 2010 fiscal year Energy and Water Appropriations Conference Report includes $634,000 for the project.
“We will also be able to continue to expand the city’s use of recycled water, which reduces our consumption of potable water, and makes Long Beach less dependent on outside sources of water, which as everyone knows are becoming more and more unreliable.” Matthew Veeh, LB Water spokesman.
By Andre Schmidt, LACSD
First published by SCAP.
The California Recovery Task Force recently announced that one percent and three percent interest loans funded through $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Economic Stimulus Package) funds are available for eligible public energy efficient and renewable energy projects in California.
Available through the California Energy Commission, the loans will help local jurisdictions stimulate their economies and job growth while investing in energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions – all in a cost effective manner. Cities, counties and special districts are eligible to apply.
Types of projects eligible for loans include:
- Automated energy management systems/controls
- Energy audits and feasibility studies may be eligible for loans
- Energy generation including renewable and combined heat and power projects
- Heating and air conditioning modifications
- Lighting systems
- Pumps, motors and variable frequency drives
- Wastewater treatment equipment
The maximum loan amount is $3 million per application. There is no minimum loan amount. Projects must have a simple payback of 11 years or less based on energy costs savings. Loans for energy projects must be repaid from savings within 15 years. For more information see the following CEC website: www.energy.ca.gov/efficiency/financing/index.html.
The EPA Superfund project will place a layer of sand over DDT contamination (credit: EPA)
The EPA Region 9 office announced a plan to spend $50 million on a Superfund project to cover a 5-mile area of DDT and PCB pollution on the sea floor near the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The pollution built up from the 1950s through 1971 when Montrose Chemical Company in Los Angeles washed chemicals into the sewer system. Montrose was the largest maker of DDT in the world at the time.
The EPA has conducted studies and test runs and believes the cap will lower contamination levels in fish and wildlife in the region. The EPA provides education for local anglers on avoiding fish from the area and minimizing contact with contaminated fish.
“Signing this interim cleanup plan is a major milestone that puts the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund Site on the road to remediation,” said Keith Takata, Superfund director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “The EPA will spend more than $50 million to cap the most contaminated sediment on the shelf, as well as continue the highly effective public outreach program to protect at-risk populations from consuming contaminated fish.”
Read the EPA press release, go>
The City's dedicated and award winning sewer cleaning crews are one of the reasons for the outstanding performance this year.
The City reached an important milestone this year, recently announcing they achieved a record performance for their 6,500 miles of wastewater pipelines with the lowest number of wastewater overflows this decade. The City’s Bureau of Sanitation provides wastewater collection and treatment for over 4 million people and 100,000 businesses within the 600 square mile LA basin.
Officials point to four key Bureau programs:
- Fats, oil and grease (FOG) control programs
- Focused tree root control program
- Improved sewer planning and renewal
- More sewers inspected, more cleaned and more of those ancient sewer lines are being upgraded or replaced
From Bureau Director Enrique C. Zaldivar…
“These numbers show that the Bureau of Sanitation has taken an aggressive approach in developing and executing programs to reduce SSOs. I am very proud of our wastewater conveyance and collections staff and crew. Rain or shine, day or night, our committed staff is in the community, keeping the pipes flowing. These excellent results demonstrate the City’s continued commitment to the protection of public health and the environment.”
And praise from environmental organizations…
“My congratulations to the Bureau for consistently designing, constructing and maintaining the sewerage infrastructure that protects our communities and our coast; the 77% reduction in spills is a wonderful accomplishment,” said Tom Ford, Executive Director, Santa Monica Baykeeper
Read the City’s press release here…
City of Los Angeles Terminal Island Renewable Energy demonstration project near the Port of LA (credit: City of LA).
The City’s innovative biosolids-to-energy project at the Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant has received stimulus funding from the Department of Energy to continue work on the biosolids injection and energy recovery project. Funds will be used to expand the facility as well as drill the third well on the site. Biosolids are injected into deep underground former oil deposits where geothermal energy and pressure heats the biosolids and converts them to biogas.
The biogas generated by the heated biosolids is recovered and used to run a turbine which can power up to 3,000 Los Angeles homes according to the City. Deep well injection also sequesters the carbon and reduces the number of daily truck trips needed to haul biosolids from the City’s coastal wastewater treatment plants to distant farm lands where they are safely used as fertilizer. the T.I.R.E. is the first project of its kind in the nation.
We are honored to have the Terminal Island Renewable Energy project selected for this research grant. TIRE is already at the forefront of technology, and we look forward to seeing how the results of this additional research can help us achieve our mission of protecting public health and the environment,” said Enrique C. Zaldivar, Director, Bureau of Sanitation
Read the City of LA press release here.
LABS hosted a dinner presentation by City of LA Project Manager Omar Moghaddam, that story is here.
Officials from Malibu and LA County break ground on the new stormwater treatment plant inside Malibu's Legacy Park.
The City of Malibu broke ground on their long awaited stormwater treatment plant – one piece of the City’s Legacy Park Project. The project not only includes a stormwater treatment plant to clean surface water before it reaches nearby beaches but also includes a park, learning center and native habitat. The treatment plant is scheduled to go on-line one year from now.
“Legacy Park is going to act as Malibu’s environmental cleaning machine,” said Mayor Andy Stern. “It will reduce pollution from stormwater, improve the city’s water quality, and allow residents to enjoy the health and recreation benefits of an open space area and a clean ocean.”
The City is leading the effort. RMC Water and Environment is the consulting engineer on the project.
The Beach Reporter details a consultants report on Manhattan Beach’s aging water and wastewater systems. Consultants AKM Consulting Engineers studied pipelines and pump stations in the city, some of which were installed in the 20s, 40s and 50s and concluded the system needs an investment of $165 million by 2030.
Sewer system improvement costs total about $39 million with sewer main rehabilitation comprising the bulk of the cost with pump station improvements and manhole rehabilitation absorbing the rest of the repair costs. The system comprises 83 miles of mostly clay pipeline, 2,060 manholes, six large and two small pump stations, and 5,120 feet of force main.
Read the Beach Reporter article here.
This year's theme by Heal the Bay is "We're All Life Guards."
This Saturday is the annual California Coastal Clean-up from 9:00am to Noon. Here in Los Angeles, Heal the Bay coordinates volunteer activties, and the event is also locally sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.
The video above is Ken Salazar, Interior Secretary, announcing one-hundred million in stimulus funding for water recycling projects- mostly California water projects. The Bureau of Reclamation was given over $1-billion as part of the Stimulus package in order to ensure clean, secure water in all states.
