City awards sewer review contract to Irvine company
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

The Camarillo City Council voted 5-0 last week to okay a $671,000 contract with AKM Consulting Engineers for the Irvine-based company to assess the city's sewer system.

The review, which will take nearly three years to complete, is intended to create a statemandated sewer system management plan that will be used by the city to ensure a healthy sewer system.

Over three years, AKM will look at the sewer's pipelines, pump stations and overall design as well as the safeguards in place to prevent a sewage overflow or stoppage.

The review was prompted by stricter regulations the state imposed on sewers after a number of high-profile sewage spills throughout Southern California, including spills in Culver City, Manhattan Beach and areas in Orange County.

City officials said AKM will determine whether or not the system in place can handle a surge in water flow during a rainy season.

Zeki Kayiran, president of AKM, said his company plans to begin the review before the start of 2007.

Lucie McGovern, deputy director of public works, said the city will buy monitors to help track water flow throughout the city's 130-mile sewer system.

McGovern said the review will focus on the numerous pump stations below the city.

"Over the last three or four months, we've been having serious equipment failures," McGovern said. "Pumps have blown out, and we're having them revisit why the pumps are blowing out fairly quickly . . . and why they're being overloaded."

Although the city has never had a sewage spill due to a pump station failure, Kayiran said the system depends on well-running pumps.

"The city drains naturally from northeast to southwest, but the treatment plant is on the northeast side, which requires pumping," Kayiran said. "This happened many years ago when the property was donated to the district for a treatment plant, so the system was constructed so they are having to pump it (sewage) back (toward the) east."

The review will also include a financial evaluation based on what changes the system needs and a review of the city staff in charge of the sewer's day-to-day operations.

McGovern said that, depending upon how many upgrades the current system requires, the city may consider raising sewer rates to pay for additional equipment.

Councilmember Kevin Kildee said the amount being spent on the project was "sizable" and asked McGovern if she believed AKM would be able to complete the job and generate a usable report.

McGovern said AKM had been responsive to the city's questions and had helped the state in a similar capacity.

In anticipation of needed upgrades to the sewer lines, city officials said they have been allowing for an additional $1 million a year in the city's budget to help cover repair costs for the sewers.