At its November 7, 2017 meeting, the Lomita City Council approved a contract amendment with Hazen and Sawyer Engineers and Scientists (Hazen) for the design of a granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration facility at Cypress Water Production Facility (CWPF). The decision comes after over a year of testing and research to determine the most effective methods to further improve aesthetics of water provided by the Lomita Water System and to further reduce the City’s dependence on costly imported water.
CWPF provides a mixture of treated groundwater and imported surface water to pressure zone 1 (portion of the City north of Pacific Coast Highway). Since July 2015, City staff and Hazen have met with residents and the Water Subcommittee of the City Council to address concerns over taste and odor in the City’s water. Based on those concerns, the City and Hazen have assessed the effectiveness of multiple treatment technologies designed to remove the organic sulfides from groundwater while also restructuring much of the City’s distribution maintenance programs. Recent investments in pipe replacements and distribution system repairs have also proven successful at improving water quality throughout the distribution system.
Based on the results of this work, presented to the City Council in June 2017, and after outreach to residents, installing granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration facilities at CWPF has been determined to be the most effective way to address the aesthetic concerns of taste and odor and allow for maximization of the City’s adjudicated water rights and reduction of imported surface water purchases. In addition, installation of a combined reverse osmosis / nanofiltration facility (RO/NF) could be added at a point in the future, as funding allows, to address any remaining aesthetic concerns related to TDS and hardness.
The estimated $2.2 Million project, along with the more than $3.5 million invested in pipe replacements and other capital projects since 2014 are expected to not only address aesthetic concerns raised by residents, but will save the City’s water system between $300,000 and $500,000 annually and provide a reliable source of quality water for years to come.
City staff anticipates that plans and specifications for the GAC facility will be ready for bidding in Summer 2018 with construction starting shortly thereafter.
For more information on the this project or the City’s water system as a whole, please refer to the resources below or contact the Public Works Department at (310) 325-7110.
City Council Staff Report – November 7, 2017
Powerpoint Presentation – November 7, 2017
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