Construction Underway at Santa Ynez Reservoir in Highlands

Construction to bring the Santa Ynez Reservoir into compliance with new environmental safety measures is well under way and should be completed by August 2011.   The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is covering the 9.2-acre open reservoir in the Highlands with hypalon (synthetic rubber) and switching disinfectants from chlorine to chloramine to meet two new rules that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established to make drinking water safer.   Environmental Construction, Inc. of Woodland Hills began work in November on the two-year project, which is estimated to cost $17 million. Construction on the inside of the reservoir is being done in two six-month phases and partly in the winter when the weather is wetter and the demand for water is reduced.   In October, LADWP stopped the water flow from Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir to Santa Ynez and allowed the remaining water to drain through normal customer consumption, according to a DWP spokesperson. Santa Ynez holds 117 million gallons of water for domestic use in Pacific Palisades, and residents are now receiving their water exclusively from Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir.   So far, workers have demolished and removed the inlet/outlet tower and steel walkway bridge, completed 40 percent of the electrical contract work, installed a portion of the landscape irrigation system, constructed four concrete vaults at the reservoir bottom and installed holding tanks.   Crews are working Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and an average of six trucks travel along Palisades Drive to the reservoir each day, according to DWP. Work will continue through April 30, at which time the reservoir will be filled for the summer. It will be drained once again on October 1 for the final phase of construction, beginning November 1. On May 1, 2011, the reservoir will be refilled and crews will finish the landscaping, which should be completed by August.   From now until August 2011, the work that remains to be done includes placing new asphalt on the reservoir side slopes and bottom, completing the remainder of the electrical work, and installing the chloramination equipment, an inlet/outlet pipe, drain-line, new fencing, a floating cover and rainwater removal system. The reservoir’s perimeter also needs to be paved.