Many California counties use the 100-year storm as the design storm for regional flood control facilities and stormwater-related capital improvements. However new data show that the 100-year storm will be more intense than previously thought. Prior to 2013, storm intensities and volumes corresponding to certain size storm events (2-year, 5-year, 10-year, 25-year, 50-year, 100-year) were
California’s 4-year drought may have further exacerbated rain- and drainage-related issues such as shrinking wood structures creating leak points; vegetation, debris, or sediment build-up that impedes drainage; and unnoticeable changes in upstream drainage patterns that may have downstream impacts. To protect property and structures from costly erosion and water damage anticipated due to El Niño’s
Combining the drought and evidence of a “Godzilla” El Niño event likely this winter, stormwater is increasingly valued as an asset worth integrating into California’s overall water management strategy. Re-thinking how to leverage stormwater resources opens up opportunities for repurposing infrastructure designed and built to dispose of flood waters. More than one in five Californians—7
The project taps a new water source, reduces urban run-off, improves water quality, and converts an irrigation system from potable to recycled water. In a collaborative effort with the County of Orange and the City of Laguna Beach, South Coast Water District is constructing an innovative water harvesting and treatment facility that will have multiple
Construction of the Western Hemisphere’s largest seawater desal facility is expected to start in early 2013 after the San Diego County Water Authority approved the purchase of water produced by the plant. The purchase agreement cleared the way for the sale of bonds to finance the fully permitted project. The plant will produce enough water
The City of Laguna Beachwas concerned about a siphon section of its primary wastewater transmission main that was constructed of steel pipe. They were also interested in evaluating the serviceability of contiguous fiberglass pipeline sections. The fiberglass pipeline had changed ownership, and records of the material type and fabrication methods were lost. This made it
A small wastewater treatment facility facing regulatory fines and inefficient operations took an innovative approach to corrective action that avoided fines and leveraged existing facilities to improve operations. The Los Ranchos Mobile Home Park’s 100,000 gallon per day (gpd) wastewater treatment plant was plagued by constant odor complaints, failing percolation ponds and occasional spills. The
Finding “low-hanging fruit” at wastewater facilities to increase capacity and improve operational reliability can pay significant benefit by maintaining service levels without committing to large-scale capital expenditures. “The key is seeking out inexpensive adjustments to current operating facilities that may allow postponing, changing, or eliminating major projects and expenditures,” said Bob Ohlund, PE, Dudek’s vice
The City of Carlsbad converted two old sewer lift stations to facilitate gravity conveyance to an expanded collection system to reduce operations and maintenance expenses associated with the old lift stations. Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) was selected as the preferred method of construction for installing the new gravity flow pipeline stations because of cooperating soil
After receiving resident feedback that its sewers were emitting odors, Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) launched an investigation into the effectiveness of its sewer siphons’ ventilation. While the Fountain Valley, CA district has a proactive siphon cleaning and maintenance program, the number of odor complaints in the vicinity of siphons indicated they were the problem.
