Politics & Government

New Storm Drainage System to Be Installed at Penmar Rec Center

Rainwater from the Rose Avenue sub-watershed will no longer be sent straight to the beach, but the Penmar Rec Center ball field will be closed for a year while construction progresses.

The days of closing Venice Beach after every big rainstorm may be coming to an end.

The Department of Public Works announced Friday that it will begin work this month on construction of a $14 million storm drain system for the Rose Avenue sub-watershed. The project includes a diversion structure at Frederick Street, a new pipe connecting the storm drain to the sewer system and a detention tank at the west end of the Penmar Recreation Center grounds.

Public Works will also be rehabilitating sewer reaches along Oakwood Avenue, Rialto Court and Crescent Place.

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The project will take about a year to complete. The ballpark at the recreation center will be closed during construction. The Department of Rec and Parks will relocate activities to other local sites.

Contruction, which will begin Feb. 21 or 28, will run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

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The westbound lane of Rose Avenue will be closed, and westbound traffic will be shifted to the middle turn lane. Frederick Street north of Rose Avenue will be closed.

“Our team of professionals is committed to ensuring that we build this project to the highest standards with the welfare of the community in mind. We appreciate the Venice community’s patience as we complete our work," City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said in a statement.

The project is funded through 2004's Proposition O Clean Water Bond, which set aside $500 million for improvements to the city's water system.

Rainwater that previously drained directly into the Pacific, at the Rose Avenue drain, will be pumped through a filter and into a 2.75-million gallon irrigation tank. It will then be directed to the Hyperion wastewater treatment plant.

“The Penmar Water Quality Improvement Project is one of many projects that will help the city of Los Angeles keep Santa Monica Bay clean. The health of our waterways and the ocean is a priority that we share with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the environmental community," Enrique Zaldivar, director of the Bureau of Sanitation, said in a statement.


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