Collapsed sewer line in Fillmore draws state of emergency declaration
The Fillmore City Council declared a state of emergency Tuesday to immediately seek repairs of a collapsed manhole with a sewage leak that broke after recent heavy rains.
The incident on March 15 caused a sewage spill into the Santa Clara River that closed beaches downstream and has shut a lane of Highway 126 in the city.
The impacted beaches reopened Tuesday, though the highway lane remained closed as of midday Wednesday.
City staff discovered evidence of a sewer line collapse on March 15, when the private firm that operates the city's wastewater treatment plant notified county environmental health officials about the sewage leak. The line is located near the intersection of Highway 126 and C Street.
Full repair could take weeks or months and options are being researched, said Troy Spayd, municipal services director and utilities engineer for the city. It was unclear when the collapsed sewer manhole was last inspected, he said, but they are inspected every three years.
An emergency declaration allows the city to bypass normal bid procedures that could take months after designs are complete, Spayd said. It also opens doors for possible state and federal funding.
City Manager David Rowlands declared a local emergency concerning the collapse on March 16 but, such a declaration lapses after seven days unless ratified by the council.
Multiple bypasses have been set up to redirect the flow upstream from the blockage, Spayd said. The bypasses collect and transport groundwater that gets into the system, he said, so continuing rains are not overwhelming the bypass pumps.
"What is in place will last, if needed, until the repairs are completed," Spayd said.
City officials are calculating damages to apply for federal aid, Rowlands said. The city also has a sewer fund for repairs.
Caltrans, which issued an emergency traffic closure Monday due to the collapsed manhole, said it had no estimate for reopening the lane. The lane was reported shut down late Friday afternoon and the official closure started Saturday, officials said.
Spayd said the collapsed manhole was likely due to heavy rains and high ground water infiltrating the sewer system through pipe connections and manholes.
The March 15 leak involved about 148,000 gallons of sewage, sending some of that into the Santa Clara River, according to the Ventura County Environmental Health Division.
A high percentage of the spill was a diluted mixture of groundwater mixed with sewage from the system, Spayd said Tuesday. It's not known how much of the spillage made it to the river, if any, he said.
Beaches near the river mouth were closed from the Ventura Harbor to Oxnard Shores, said Ashley Kennedy, a county supervising environmental health specialist, and warning signs were posted.
The beaches reopened Tuesday afternoon and a worker was removing warning signs on Wednesday, she said.
Cheri Carlson contributed to this report. Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Collapsed sewer line in Fillmore draws emergency declaration
