Surf City Begins Its Sewer Fixes

Huntington Beach has begun the long-term task of replacing and repairing its aging sewer system, using proceeds from a fee that residents began paying in October.

The first project is the replacement of two lift stations, which collect and then send sewage to county treatment plants. Some of the lift stations, which aid the flow of sewage wherever gravity cannot do the job, are 40 years old and have outlived their usefulness, according to city engineers.

The stations--at Pacific Coast Highway and Admiralty Drive and at Brookhurst street south of Atlanta Avenue--will be demolished and replaced by the AES Construction Co.

“The sewer service charge is designed to take care of the replacement of all the pipes that convey the sewage and the lift stations,” said Paul Emery, deputy director of public works. “Each of the system’s components have life cycles” and will eventually need to be replaced, he said.

The city estimates it will need $127 million over 20 years to rehabilitate and maintain its sewer system, which extends about 600 miles.

To pay for the extensive work, the city will raise about $5.6 million annually from the new fee. The lift station project will cost about $2.1 million, officials said.

The City Council approved the sewer service fee four months after the city pleaded guilty to three violations of state water laws by failing to report to state and county health officials massive leaks that spewed large amounts of sewage into the ground.