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College Park West residents press Seal Beach for engineering, legal review of proposed Haines pipeline routing
Summary
Residents of College Park West urged the city council to investigate a proposed Long Beach pipeline project they say would place two additional pipes on the structurally deficient College Park Drive bridge; speakers requested engineering and legal reviews, indemnity/insurance, traffic-control plans and an evacuation plan.
Residents of College Park West told the Seal Beach City Council they oppose a plan to route two additional water pipelines across the College Park Drive bridge and asked the city to retain engineers and legal counsel and require indemnification and emergency-access plans before approving any franchise or right-of-way use.
John Janicek, a College Park West resident since 1965, told the council the neighborhood has a single entry and exit and that the bridge over the San Gabriel River is listed in the National Bridge Inventory as "structurally deficient." He said Long Beach's plan to attach pipes to the bridge to move water from the Haines plant to a reclamation facility would add construction traffic, could affect emergency access and might force evacuations if the bridge deteriorates.
'Putting it on a structurally deficient bridge causes a lot of issues and it's an existential threat to College Park West,' Janicek said.
Jan Harboit, who identified herself and her husband as original owners in College Park West (moved in Feb. 1966), cited the National Bridge Inventory and a Federal Highway Administration bridge-safety manual and asked why the bridge would be used without first bringing it up to seismic and safety standards. Harboit urged the council to demand any bridge work or use be preceded by a safety retrofit.
Mary Cobb, a homeowner at 232 Harvard Lane, presented bridge-safety data and told the council that residents estimate the proposed pipelines would add the equivalent weight of millions of gallons of water to the structure; she said the city of Long Beach had not shown due diligence in assessing impacts to the College Park Drive bridge.
Residents said they have circulated a petition with roughly 200 signatures opposing the plan as currently proposed and asked the city to take steps including:
- Retain structural, mechanical and civil engineers to assess the current condition of the College Park Drive bridge and the impacts of additional pipelines; - Have the city attorney investigate whether Seal Beach can refuse use of the bridge or condition approval of any franchise agreement; - Require indemnification and insurance from any utility seeking to place pipelines on the bridge; - Require traffic-control plans that preserve emergency access during construction and a written evacuation plan for the neighborhood.
Council members said they had attended public meetings on the Haines project and were listening to residents' concerns. Several council members reported they had attended a meeting at College Park West where Long Beach or its utility representatives answered questions, and said staff are aware of the issue. No formal action, motion or vote on the pipeline or bridge was recorded at the meeting.
