Water District Saves by Closing Pump Station

In an effort to save money and energy, the Santa Margarita Water District has removed a pumping station from service.

District officials said closure of the Puerta de Luz waste water lift station--at Trabuco Road and Los Alisos Boulevard in Las Flores--will save more than $2,000 monthly in maintenance, chemical and permit costs, and an additional $175 a month for electricity.

The station’s closure was made possible by the recent completion of a system of gravity-flow pipes enabling raw sewage to flow to a Moulton Niguel Water District treatment plant, unaided by pumps. In addition to cutting down on potential spill and odor problems in the area surrounding the station, the change is expected to reduce the Santa Margarita Water District’s energy consumption by 1,266 kilowatt hours per month.

The district “included the Puerta de Luz lift station abandonment project in its five-year capital improvement plan to reduce its operations costs,” district board President Betty H. Olson said in a written statement. “The project’s completion comes at an ideal time.”