Update on the Clearwater Project from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts

On Monday, December 8th, Cal/OSHA authorized the Sanitation Districts and its contractors permission to re-enter the Clearwater Tunnel for the first time since the breach that occurred on July 9. Personnel began a safe, phased re-entry process into the tunnel entrance located adjacent to our A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility to restore ventilation, establish power, and inspect the tunnel’s structural integrity. This re-entry process is expected to last several weeks. However, all construction of the Clearwater Tunnel remains halted until this assessment is completed. This initial phase only allows inspection teams to proceed approximately 3 miles into the tunnel but will not get us near the location where the breach occurred. Cal/OSHA is the authority that will grant the Sanitation Districts and its contractors' permission to proceed towards the breach area. We have no timeframe when permission to proceed to the next phase will be granted.

Drilling activity on Western Avenue near 5th Street is ongoing and continuous as we try and assess conditions at depth where the breach occurred and we work to get to the breach location through the tunnel.

The safety of everyone working on this project remains a priority for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. We will continue to post updates as they become available. For more information, please call (877) 300-9283 or email Maria Rosales-Ramirez at mrosales@lacsd.org.