Tunnel work begins

Emergency repairs to a South Coast Water District sewer tunnel off of 1000 Steps Beach in South Laguna are in full swing.

The $2 million project will take several months, and a 76-foot work boat will land on the beach several times a week to bring equipment and supplies for the project.

The first leg of the repair work will be to enlarge and fortify the tunnel opening and to fortify a 35-foot interior passageway that leads to the sewer tunnel. The next phase will protect the sewer line near the entry by encasing 50 feet of it in concrete.

Next, the tunnel near the entry will be enlarged and fortified, by excavating 50 feet to form a stable horseshoe, lined with sprayed-on concrete.

Then the line will be protected by encasing 750 feet of pipeline in concrete, a one-month job. For more information, call the Water District at (949) 499-4555 or visit www.scwd.org.