Fixing Sewage Leak No Simple Task

Jim Cote lifted his face to the sunshine poking through the stubborn rain clouds over Hill Canyon on Wednesday morning and said a silent prayer of thanks.

Charged with repairing a broken Thousand Oaks sewer pipe, the contractor has battled rainstorms since the rupture on Feb. 3 that has sent millions of gallons of raw sewage gushing into the rain-swollen Conejo Creek.

The sewage--estimated at nearly 48 million gallons by Wednesday morning--has forced closure of beaches in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and raised a host of health and environmental problems.

The sewage flow prompted state Regional Water Quality Control Board officials this week to demand repairs and a cleanup and to require the city to find a permanent solution or pay $5,000 a day in fines.

With the rain holding off Wednesday, Cote was hopeful the sewage spill would be stopped by today, or Friday at the latest.

State officials, like many Thousand Oaks residents, said the spill might not have occurred if the city had replaced the sewer line--work that had been discussed for years and finally was scheduled for this summer.

City records show that public works officials repeatedly warned the City Council that the work was vital. Council members, however, citing a warning from the city attorney about possible legal trouble, have declined to place blame publicly.

“The warnings were there, loud and clear,” said Councilwoman Judy Lazar.

In the last week, rain has been Jim Cote’s enemy, complicating repair efforts and ruining a first attempt at fixing the pipe, which leads to the city-owned Hill Canyon sewage treatment plant in a rugged, remote area of the city.

The repeated rainstorms have led to the repair site being underwater for days at a time. In addition, Cote and his crew have dealt with mud, long hours, a never-ending flow of sewage and difficulties in reaching the site of the rupture.

Once there, they have worked under lights long after the sun has gone down--sometimes for 16 hours straight--and have suffered cold winds driving through dirt-caked and damp clothing. They haven’t seen much of their families.

And then there’s the poison oak.

“I miss hugging my kids,” Cote said, rolling up a sleeve to expose the bumpy red rash that itches like crazy.

Half of his 15-member team has the rash. Luckily, none have become ill from working near the sewage, which can cause typhoid fever, dysentery and hepatitis.

Workers don’t get into the creek, Cote said. Indeed, their first order of business was to build a road across the relentless waterway so they could drive their loaders, excavators, and bulldozers to the rupture site--where the pipe crosses the creek in a narrow part of the canyon.

One worker, Danny Barsch, was sprayed from head to toe with sewage water when a pump malfunctioned. He ran to the sewage plant, about 150 yards from the spill site, and washed himself in a disinfectant shower. Barsch, a mechanic, said he’s not worried about getting sick.

“I’m a stout mule,” he said, adding that he keeps up his strength with granola bars, Classic Coke and Camel cigarettes.

Most of the workers bring snacks, thermoses of coffee, and bottles of water. Someone usually makes a McDonald’s run at lunch, bringing back 10 orders of Value Meal No. 1.

Fueled with Big Macs, the crew resumes its job: building a dam so that creek water flows around the broken pipe. They will then fit a new 30- to 40-foot section of pipe in the gap.

The same repair plan failed last week when a storm dropped so much rain into the canyon’s watershed that the creek rose eight feet, ruining the 2-hour-old patch job and adding almost another week to the duration of the spill that has closed 30 miles of beaches.

“It was so disappointing,” Barsch said, shaking his head. “We worked our butts off for it and the rain blew it away.” The difference this week is rainless skies and a replacement pipe that is just the right size. The first hasty repair used whatever crews could put their hands on.

Cote praises his people for their “willing hearts” and dedication. He also complimented Public Works Director Don Nelson for maintaining his cool through tremendous pressure.

Nelson, he said, cracked some jokes during a recent meeting that Cote characterized as a “pep rally,” and lifted spirits weary from the constant state of emergency.

“I told Don Nelson I’d give this 200% of my effort. That’s my job,” Cote said as he hurried off to see if the dam was completed.