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View Winners → Top Posts Jul 22, 2021
Photo courtesy of Ken Lund/Wikimedia Commons
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To help El Segundo residents’ quality of life amid an odor caused by a sewage spill at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, Los Angeles is offering residents reimbursements for either air conditioning units or a hotel room through July 29.
A power outage Sunday at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant caused 17-million gallons of untreated sewage to spill into the ocean, as well as flood some buildings at the facility. As crews work to remove the excess water and sewage from the facility, the city is offering nearby residents help to cope with the smell.
Those who don’t have air conditioning can purchase air conditioning units and be reimbursed $600 for homes 1,000 square feet and smaller and $1,200 for homes more than 1,000 square feet.
If residents prefer to stay in a hotel room, they can be reimbursed up to $182 per day, as well as meals and incidentals up to $62 per day for each person who lives full time in the household. The offer is available through July 29.
The offers are available to El Segundo residents who have homes within the boundaries of Imperial Avenue, Grand Avenue and Main Street. Applications must be submitted within 24 hours of checking into a hotel or purchasing an air conditioning unit. The applications will soon be available at lacitysan.org.
The Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant discharged 17 million gallons of untreated sewage through its one- and five-mile outlets on June 11.
Beaches were closed the next day, prompting questions about why it took a day to notify the public about the untreated sewage spill and close the following areas:
- Dockweiler State Beach at Water Way Extension;
- Dockweiler State Beach at Hyperion Plant;
- El Segundo Beach; and
- Grand Avenue Storm Drain.
The beaches were reopened on Thursday after ocean water samples collected over two days met state standards for acceptable water quality, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Hyperion Executive Plant Manager Timeyin Dafeta issued a statement on June 12 saying the plant “became inundated with overwhelming quantities of debris, causing backup of the headworks facilities. The plant’s relief system was triggered and sewage flows were controlled through use of the plant’s one- mile outfall and discharge of untreated sewage into Santa Monica Bay.”
Dafeta said the 17 million gallons of sewage — about 6% of a daily load — were discharged as an emergency measure to prevent the plant from going offline and discharging even more raw sewage. Normally, treated sewage is discharged through the five-mile outfall, not the one-mile outfall.
