LA County Sanitation District details Elmonte Avenue trunk sewer rehabilitation; work could start in October

Alex Martinez of the LA County Sanitation District presented a plan to rehabilitate a deteriorated trunk sewer on Elmonte Avenue between Key West Street and Live Oak Avenue, saying the 3,800-foot section is about 50 years old and will be rehabilitated with a cured-in-place (CIP) lining rather than full remove-and-replace construction.

The district said the pipeline is 12 inches in diameter and the rehab scope includes 17 manholes that will receive a spray-applied protective coating. Martinez said a portion of the trunk sewer lies in the city of Arcadia; the district has executed permits with Arcadia and is proposing to proceed with the Temple City portion pending council approval of the presentation.

The district described the CIP method: crews will access the line through manholes, inject a resin-saturated liner that is inflated and steam-cured to form a new inner pipe, and then demobilize once each section is complete. The district listed phases as CCTV inspection, sewer cleaning, bypass setup, CIP lining and demobilization. Martinez said the approach is intended to be more cost effective and to shorten construction duration compared with removing and replacing the pipe.

Schedule and impacts: the district said work could begin tentatively on Oct. 6 (dates described as tentative), with CIP lining operations occurring during daytime hours and service interruptions expected between about 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the lining phase only; the district emphasized that bypass pumping for most construction activities is intended to avoid service interruptions. The district said contractors will send three resident notifications before work in each area (14 days, 7 days and 24 hours) and that bilingual notices (English and Spanish) will be provided; Martinez and supervising engineer Romel Garcia said the project web page can be machine-translated and the district will prepare additional language flyers if needed.

Traffic and trenches: the district said most work will occur between manholes and that bypass pumping equipment and two traffic-rated pumps will occupy a center turn lane in the work area. City staff and district engineers said there will be one or two small trench cuts associated with bypass connections (one near Live Oak at the intersection and another at a discharge location); those trenches will be covered with traffic-rated trench plates and restored to the city’s standards after work.

Services for residents: the district said portable toilets and handwashing stations will be available when needed and that ADA-compliant units can be provided upon request; district staff asked residents to avoid discharging water down drains during the brief lining interruptions when possible. The district said only households with private laterals directly connecting to the affected trunk sewer are expected to receive direct interruption notices; city staff (City Engineer Michael Lloyd) said the city will work with the district to map impacted laterals and confirm the notification list.

Council questions and follow-up: Council members asked whether notices had been produced in Chinese; Garcia replied that the district website auto-translates content and that staff will prepare a Chinese-language flyer for Temple City if required. Council members also raised concerns about trench plates remaining in place too long after prior work; district staff said they would note that to the contractor and emphasized efforts to restore pavement promptly.

Outlook: the district requested the council’s acceptance of the presentation so the district may proceed with the planned rehabilitation steps and community notifications. City staff said they will coordinate final schedules, impacted-address notification, and contractor requirements for pavement restoration.

Ending: the presentation concluded after council questions and staff comments; the council then moved on to the consent calendar and remaining agenda items.