New sewer main will protect Buena Vista Lagoon

The Carlsbad City Council approved an agreement Tuesday to solicit bids for construction of a new sewage pipe near Buena Vista Lagoon that will protect the environmentally sensitive wetland. 

 

In 2007 the pipeline broke causing a sewage spill. Although crews repaired the pipe, an evaluation of the pipe’s condition found that it needed to be replaced.

 

The pipeline, called a “force main” because it uses pressure to move the wastewater flow, is part of the Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor Sewer system, which carries wastewater from Vista and Carlsbad to the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility on Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad. The system is jointly owned by the cities of Carlsbad and Vista. 

 

The replacement project consists of a new 4,200-foot-long pipe that will extend from the Buena Vista lift station, near the intersection of Jefferson Street and Marron Road, southwest to a point just east of Interstate 5. The 600-foot-long section of pipeline that failed in 2007 will be replaced with a two parallel 24 inch pipes. One will be used as the sewer force main, and the other will be used when rain causes excess flows and as a backup sewer main, further protecting the nearby lagoon.

 

Nearly all the pipe will be laid beneath Jefferson Street, with the exception of a 125-foot segment that will be suspended from the bridge over Buena Vista Creek. 

 

Once a contractor is selected, city staff estimates the project will take 13 months to complete. Water and sewer services are not expected to be affected by the construction.

 

Carlsbad and Vista will share the project’s $5.9 million cost, based on their portions of the pipe’s ownership, with Vista paying 90 percent and Carlsbad the remainder. 

 

The project has all the necessary permits, including a Coastal Development Permit.

 

Contact David Ahles, 760-602-2748, or david.ahles@carlsbadca.gov

 

Kristina Ray, 760-434-2957, kristina.ray@carlsbadca.gov

Rachel McGuire, 760-434-2960, rachel.mcguire@carlsbadca.gov