| | Published September 14th, 2011
| Glorietta Storm Drain Project Moves Forward
| | Laurie Snyder | | |
The Orinda City Council took a major step at its meeting last week to protect the City from future liability and financial hardship by approving the "Mitigated Negative Declaration" associated with the Glorietta Storm Drain Improvements project.
The unanimous action by Council members affirms that the project is being undertaken for the public good while protecting endangered species and sensitive habitat areas within the proposed project area, and also paves the way for the City to expend more than one million dollars on this Public Works initiative.
History of the Project
As a result of damage in February 2000 to properties near Glorietta Boulevard and Moraga Way following heavy rains, the City determined that the flooding was most likely caused by a partial collapse of a 60-inch diameter corrugated metal pipe in a section of a neighborhood culvert, compounded by the accumulation of debris in the pipe and at the outfall of the creek bed.
The 738-foot long culvert was built in several stages between 1946 and 1959. Most of it lies within private property and is not easily accessible because it is located very close to or beneath existing single family homes.
Though no further incidents of flooding have occurred since 2000, the pipe's current condition captured the attention of City engineers. They are worried about possible total structural collapse of the pipe's second segment, which would result in significant flooding of the neighborhood and major expenses for the City.
The Plan
The City is working to obtain necessary easements for construction and maintenance. The project includes rehabilitating segment one of the culvert with a new lining; replacing segment two of the culvert with an RCP; and installing rock slope protection, grading the creek channel, and placing botanical erosion control downstream from the outfall.
Extensive analyses of likely environmental impacts were conducted. Three potential areas of concern were identified: air quality, biological resources, and noise. Planners estimate that these issues will be reduced to less-than-significant levels. Details regarding how the City plans to mitigate each issue may be found on the City's website under City Council Agendas/Staff Reports for September 6, 2011, Item I-2.
Six private properties (two on Glorietta Boulevard, three on Glorietta Court, and one on Moraga Way) will be the most affected. City staff has narrowly defined easement rights to avoid causing undue hardship to property owners.
Project construction will last approximately two months with all of the work done Mondays through Saturdays during daylight hours. Some periodic, short-term reductions in the number of traffic lanes on Glorietta Boulevard and Moraga Way may be required; however, complete closures of Moraga Way or Glorietta Boulevard are not anticipated.
To date, the City has spent approximately $235,975 for project design and environmental review. The total cost projected in the City's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2012 is $1,550,937, which will be spread out over three years with the largest share of expenses falling in 2013.
Council members were sober in their deliberations about this project. Council Member Steve Glazer noted that, although these drainage improvements had not been budgeted by the Council and come with a big price tag, "There are some things the City must do."
The project will be paid for by the City's General Fund since there are insufficient Drainage Impact Fees available. The full CIP will be considered by the Orinda City Council at its next meeting on September 20th.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA