UPDATE - On Monday, April 11th City Utility operators discovered evidence of a wastewater leak in a 6” force main running from a lift station in the Cloisters area under Highway 1 to Main Street. The operators isolated the leak and cleaned the area the same day the issue was discovered. They also diverted all wastewater away from the pipe and into temporary storage tanks, which stopped further leaking on the same day. Due to the quick actions of the operators, all sewage was contained and no sewage travelled to Cloisters Pond or the ocean. A big thanks to our Utilities Crew for their outstanding response!!
On Wednesday, April 27th a City contractor completed insertion of a smaller 4’ High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) through the entire length of the force main, which has allowed the force main to go back into operation. This is a short-term fix that will prevent any further leakages until the Utilities and Engineering Divisions evaluate and implement a long-term option to replace the force main. The OneWater plan, the City’s master planning document for water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, did not prioritize this force main for replacement and showed no indication it was at risk for imminent failure. As such, the City is considering including full replacement of the force main as part of the much larger Main Street Sewer Improvements project currently being designed.
Now that the force main is back in operation, the City has directed the temporary storage tanks along the bike path to be fully emptied and removed from site. Further, the bike path that runs through the area has now been reopened. Thank you to the Morro Bay community for your patience during this challenge!
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PREVIOUS POST - On Monday, April 11th City Utilities operators discovered evidence of a wastewater leak in a force main running from a lift station in the Cloisters area under Highway 1 to Main Street. The operators isolated the leak and cleaned the area the same day the issue was discovered. Further, all wastewater is now being diverted away from the pipe and into temporary storage tanks, which has stopped the leak. Since the force main was not included in either of the two sewer improvement projects currently in progress, engineering staff is evaluating short-term and long-term solutions for the force main, including repair and replacement.
In order to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe along the Bike Path, the City has closed a section of the Bike Path and diverting pedestrians and bikes onto Emerald Circle. The closure is needed to allow vehicle traffic, including large truck and tankers, in the area to empty the temporary storage tanks. The bike path closure will be necessary until the City can repair or replace the sewer force main under Highway 1.
