Sewer Authority Funds the Design for a Brand New Package Plant at the 70-Year Old Pillar Point Pump Station Site

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VIDEO. From the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Director’s meeting on Monday, March 27th, 2023 at 7:30pm as a hybrid meeting.

From the 3/27/2023 Agenda Staff Report

The Princeton Pump Station (PPS) project is part of the Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2022 (CIP 4.01) and replaces the existing PPS with a buried package pump station.

SAM is part of a 2019 Consent Decree in the case of Ecological Rights Foundation v. Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (Case No. 3:18-CV-04413). In March 2021, a condition assessment study was conducted at the PPS and identified three significant vulnerabilities: tsunami, seismic fault rupture, and soil liquefaction potential (Attachment A). A feasibility study, which evaluated PPS alternatives and provided recommendations, was completed in June 2021 (Attachment B). Per the Consent Decree, SAM is required to implement the feasible recommendations of the PPS feasibility study by June 30, 2024.

The PPS is located on West Point Avenue within the Granada Community Services District service area. PPS was originally constructed in the 1950s to convey sewage collected from the community in Princeton-by-the-Sea to a small local wastewater treatment plant. In 1979, the PPS flows were redirected to the new Intertie Pipeline System that conveys all wastewater from the northern communities of Montara, Moss Beach, Princeton-by-the-Sea, and El Granada to the SAM Regional WWTP in Half Moon Bay. PPS has not been upgraded in over 40 years and has exceeded its useful life. The reliability of the pumps is diminishing as they continue to age and replacement parts are more difficult to obtain. In addition, the existing pump station requires highrisk, confined space entry whenever the pumps or valves need maintenance.

Based on the alternative analysis, seismic risk, condition assessment, and hydraulic analysis, the feasibility study recommends building a new PPS on the current site and abandoning the existing pump station. The new package pump station will include a pre-fabricated wet well with submersible duplex grinder pumps mounted on rails for ease of routine removal, maintenance, and inspection. The existing MCC and generator system at the PPS will be used to serve the new pump station, which will be located in the open parking area outside of the MCC room. This project will provide efficiency in operation, flexibility during construction, and reliability for SAM.

The PPS project’s general timeline includes going to bid in May 2023 and a contractor under contract this Fiscal Year. The fast-tracked design phase requires a multidiscipline team of civil, structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and geotechnical engineering to provide bid-ready documents. This will enable SAM to bid for the complete project by June 2023 and complete construction as required by the Consent Decree by June 30, 2024.

Princeton Force Main Condition Assessment Passes Muster for Another 10 Years

MAY 27, 2020

VIDEO and POWERPOINT.

May 11th, 2020, SAM Agenda

Princeton Force Main Presentation

Princeton Force Main Presentation by Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside’s General Manager, Kishen Prathivadi.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Purpose

2. Condition assessment team

3. Overview of Princeton Force Main

4. Methodology

5. Hydraulic assessment

6. Geologic assessment

7. External inspection process

8. Metal thickness test results

9. Soil and groundwater test results

10. Recommendations

11. Questions/discussion

CONCLUSIONS

• The Princeton Force Main appears to be in good condition and does not pose a threat of failure

• The pressure rating of the Force Main far exceeds the normal working pressure

• No hydraulic anomalies were observed

• There are no observed surface indications that the Force Main is leaking

• No development or other utilities are jeopardizing the Force Main • No faults or geologic hazards pose a threat to the Force Main

• Soil and groundwater surrounding the Force Main are not corrosively aggressive

• Metal loss is moderate and does not pose of risk of failure

• There is no reason to believe the Force Main will have any less than a 100-year service life which is expected of a ductile iron pipeline

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Perform similar inspection in 10 years

• Air release valves and blow off should be on a regular maintenance schedule

• Replace deteriorated surge tank at Princeton Pump Station

• Replace the other ARV on the force main alignment

• Install emergency bypass capability at Princeton Pump Station

Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.

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Regular Board Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00pm.

Contact Us

Our regular office hours are 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The Authority can be reached 24-hours a day at:

(650) 726-0124

Our Mailing Address is:

Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
1000 Cabrillo Hwy N.
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

(650) 726-7833 (fax)

Regular Board Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00pm.

From time to time a meeting date may be changed, cancelled or relocated. Check the posted agenda for any changes to the normal schedule (click on links below).

The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) provides wastewater treatment services and contract collection maintenance services for a population of approximately 27,000 in the following areas:

City of Half Moon Bay
El Granada
Miramar
Montara
Moss Beach
Princeton by the Sea

SAM Directors

SAM is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by its three member agencies: City of Half Moon Bay (City), Granada Community Services District (GCSD), and the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD).

The JPA is a separate, independent, public agency created by the member agencies to perform functions and share powers common to the member agencies. Those powers are outlined in a joint exercise of powers agreement (Agreement). The Agreement creating SAM can be found on the Documents page.

Each Agreement identifies how the independent agency will be governed. In the case of SAM, each member agency appoints two members from its governing board to represent it on the SAM Board of Directors, for a total of six directors.

The Agreement also establishes the weight of each director’s vote. The vote by each representatives from the City is given the weight of two votes. The vote by each representative from GCSD and MWSD is given the weight of one vote. The total number of possible votes is eight. A quorum is a minimum of five votes and resolutions require at least six votes to pass.

Wipes and rags, as seen below, are the culprit.

Talk to your neighbors, please.

Repair for one pump can be $50,000.

Replacement is very, very expensive. A new pump can be a million dollars.

Burning out a generator can cost $100,000 to replace

~ Montara Sewer and Water District’s (MSWD) Board Member Kathryn Slater-Carter and MSWD General Manager, Clemens Heldmaier.

Smaller Is Better: The Solution to California’s Ancient Water Pipes by Rinaldo Veseliza

Published on April 3, 2017

Written by: Rinaldo Veseliza

President and Principal Architect at CASE4GOOD Sustainable Environmental Solutions

Sewer Authority Funds the Design for a Brand New Package Plant at the 70-Year Old Pillar Point Pump Station Site

From the 3/27/2023 Agenda Staff Report

Princeton Force Main Condition Assessment Passes Muster for Another 10 Years

May 11th, 2020, SAM Agenda