Clearwater Project Update

June 30, 2026

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts’ staff and project contractors are working with Cal/OSHA to safely proceed with phased repair and re-entry into the Clearwater Tunnel, which suffered a breach last July. With the aid of a custom-built remotely operated vehicle, extensive survey and inspection, the contractor has confirmed that the tunnel is stable all the way to the breach area, allowing the restoration of ventilation, power, and personnel entry to within 100 feet of the breach. Currently, crews are at work draining water, slowly removing debris from the breach, and preparing the damaged area for repair as allowed by Cal/OSHA. Once the crews reach the breach, more extensive tunnel repairs will take place. The breach repair process is expected to take several months to complete due to the complex engineering required, confined workspace, and logistics.

The investigative work on Western Avenue near 5th Street was completed in mid-May. Void areas detected have since been filled with slurry. The same slurry was pumped down to the tunnel to fill and stabilize the breach area and debris. Monitoring at the surface continues to detect no measurable movement at street level. Future intermittent work on Western Avenue may require occasional, temporary traffic restrictions. All project updates are posted on the Clearwater Project website ahead of time.

Construction at Royal Palms Beach was suspended in August 2025, following the discovery of indigenous artifacts. The Sanitation Districts have worked with the State Historic Preservation Office and State Water Board on the excavation work. As of mid-June, shoring pile work has been completed, and the Districts have been authorized to begin removing soil around our in-ground infrastructure. This excavation work is necessary to prepare the site for eventual connection to the new Clearwater Tunnel. This first phase of excavation is scheduled to proceed under archaeological supervision. Once completed, full-scale construction operations at this location are expected to resume. There is no time frame projected for this activity.

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

Update on Construction at Royal Palms Beach

June 30th, 2026

Greetings – this is a heads-up message that construction activity will ramp up starting tomorrow at Royal Palms Beach.

The Sanitation Districts have been approved to begin soil excavations to prepare to access our underground infrastructure. This means increased truck traffic and excavation activity at the Royal Palms worksite. This activity could take several weeks/months and is subject to archeological supervision for potential recovery of additional indigenous artifacts during work. In the event any artifacts are discovered, exploration by hand will take place. So, this phase of the operation may be slow and go for quite some time. Obviously, we have no idea what may or may not be discovered during the excavation work, so there’s no way to predict how long this phase may last.

We have posted social media notices and an update on our website will be up later today. As always, all updates are posted here for easy reference: Clearwater Project.

Please advise if you have any questions. Thank you.

Michael Chee
Public Information Officer
562-908-4288 ext. 2302 | c 562-325-7329
michaelchee@lacsd.org

Night Time work starting April 7, 2026

4/2/2026

Dear Resident/Business Owner,

This email is to inform you that working hours on Western Avenue will switch to nighttime starting Tuesday, April 7, through Saturday, April 11. Traffic controls will be in place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with vehicle traffic proceeding through the southbound lane adjacent to the median. There will be no daytime work occurring during this time, except possibly on Saturday, April 11, to complete this work. This will conclude activities on Western Avenue for this phase of work. Crews may need to return to the area in the future, and notices will be posted on our website. Please use caution when driving through this area at night.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this important work. For questions or concerns, please contact Maria Rosales-Ramirez at mrosales@lacsd.org or call (877) 300-9283.

Limited Construction Resumes at Royal Palms Beach

March 17th, 2026

Dear Resident/Business Owner,

This email is to update you that the Sanitation Districts will resume limited construction activities for the Clearwater Tunnel project at Royal Palms Beach beginning the week of March 16. We are resuming worksite preparation, including soil borings to help reinforce existing infrastructure. This work is necessary to prepare for the next major phase of construction to connect the new tunnel to our existing outfall pipe system. Working hours for this phase of construction are scheduled Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

There is currently no timeline to begin the next phase of major construction at Royal Palms Beach which will involve significantly more equipment and activity. Residents and businesses in the area will be notified well in advance of our full mobilization before that activity resumes.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this important work. For questions or concerns, please contact Maria Rosales-Ramirez at mrosales@lacsd.org or call (877) 300-9283.

Clearwater Project Update

February 5, 2026

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts’ project contractors are making progress re-entering the Clearwater Tunnel to get closer to the breach inside the tunnel. In December, personnel completed a safe, phased re-entry process from the tunnel entrance adjacent to the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility to approximately three miles in. Since then, crews have relied on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and drone technology to learn more about tunnel conditions near the breach.

The inspection along the completed tunnel indicates it is stable and intact. As a result, Cal/OSHA has authorized a second phase of re-entry to allow inspection of the tunnel to within 150 feet of the breach area so the investigation and engineering assessment for repair and recovery can take place. An ROV equipped with high-definition video cameras and laser measuring capabilities is being used to assess tunnel conditions and ensure safety ahead of any human entry. Re-entry to the point of the breach is expected to take several months as allowed by Cal/OSHA with no specific date set. All Clearwater Tunnel construction remains halted until this re-entry process is fully complete.

Drilling activity on Western Avenue near 5th Street remains ongoing to assess the conditions above the breach at approximately 350 feet below street level. The investigation identified an empty space approximately 10 feet by 20 feet in size, located about 310 feet below ground level. The contractor is drilling multiple bore holes to better understand underground conditions and determine the best method for filling and reinforcing the underground area. Monitoring of movement at the surface has detected no significant movement at street level. Drilling and street activity is expected to continue with longer working hours during the day to help this effort progress. Drilling has been difficult due to underground conditions. Updates or changes to drilling activity will be posted on the Clearwater Project website.

Construction at Royal Palms Beach was suspended in August 2025, following the discovery of Native American artifacts. On January 21, 2026, the State Historic Preservation Office authorized Royal Palms Beach construction activities to resume after a five-month archeological investigation. Limited construction work at this location will involve drilling shoring piles. This work is expected to resume in the next few months. Construction activities at this location are necessary to prepare the site to eventually connect to the new Clearwater Tunnel when it is completed. There is no set timeframe for this part of the project.

Update on the Clearwater Project from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts - Dec 10, 2025

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.

What is the Clearwater Project?

The Sanitation Districts operate and maintain the Joint Outfall System (JOS), the main sewer system that collects and treats the wastewater (sewage) from over 5 million people in the Los Angeles basin. The largest wastewater treatment facility in the JOS, the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP) in Carson, uses two large tunnels to convey water to the ocean. The tunnels are 60 and 80 years old.

In 2012, the Sanitation Districts’ Board of Directors approved the Clearwater Project Master Facilities Plan, which will protect local waterways by addressing aging infrastructure. A major component of this project is a new 7-mile long tunnel that will be constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way (streets). The figure below shows the alignment of the new and existing tunnels.