Consultants present two-lift-station approach, committee weighs single vs dual force mains

Stantec engineers walked the Los Olivos technical subcommittee through a 30% collection-system design that proposes two lift stations — a smaller Grand Avenue station and a larger Santa Barbara station — to move wastewater toward a Solvang connection or an on-district treatment option. Stantec emphasized accessibility and redundancy for long-term operations and suggested the committee formally consider whether to include dual force mains for resilience.

"The Grand Avenue Pump Station is the smaller lift station," the Stantec presenter said while outlining locations and right-of-way siting. The consultants described the Santa Barbara lift station as having a deeper wet well, a duplex pump arrangement and space for a permanent generator sized to support both stations. They also noted that dual force mains — while more expensive upfront — can limit service interruptions decades later by allowing alternating use and easier maintenance.

Committee members sought more comparative life-cycle data. One member asked the consultants to add a side-by-side analysis showing construction, electrical service and long-term energy and maintenance costs for the one- and two-station configurations. Stantec agreed to refine the report and to highlight which costs are unique to a Solvang connection and which would be incurred in any local treatment scenario. The subcommittee did not take a vote on configuration; Stantec will update the document for the full board in April.