California Beach Gets New Bathroom and Lift Station

International Airport flight path, is operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors for the City of Los Angeles. Along its three-mile shoreline are an RV park, four restroom buildings and a concession area.

As part of its ongoing program to improve beach facilities, the county recently completed a comprehensive refurbishment of the popular site. Included in the $15 million improvement project are four new public restrooms, which now meet ADA requirements.

The replacement lift station

At the Deauville restroom, public works managers needed to replace a 40-year-old lift station. The Deauville restroom facility and adjacent parking lot are at the beach level. About 200 feet shoreward, the main sewer line lies alongside the access road, parallel with the beach and about 30 feet higher, thus the wastewater pumping requirement.

The Los Angeles County Public Works Department, which oversees construction projects for all county agencies, chose Romtec Utilities, Inc. to supply a pre-engineered submersible pump system. “When we began planning for the lift station, we had certain criteria from our Public Works maintenance folks,” says Ed Andrews, Senior Capital Project Manager for the County of Los Angeles. “They wanted it to be a reliable system, which is why we went to Romtec.”

Andrews says Romtec Utilities’ reputation for reliability, the specifications Romtec supplied for the overall project, and the company’s excellent customer service were all factors in the selection.
Romtec Utilities supplied all structural, mechanical, electrical and communication components in a complete system featuring:

6’ dia. x 9’ deep pre-cast concrete wet well
Duplex ITT Flygt 3102 5hp submersible pumps
P re-assembled valve assembly in pre-cast concrete vault
U.L. listed electrical control panel

“The support from Romtec and the Flygt people was just invaluable in ensuring that we really had the facility that we wanted,” Andrews says.

Lift station installation and start-up

Installation was accomplished in a matter of days, with no unwelcome surprises for the contractor, New Creation Builders of Bellflower, Calif., or for the county. “The system went in as advertised, with no problems in installation at all,” Andrews says.

When it came time to start up the system, representatives from Romtec Utilities and ITT Flygt walked the contractor and county staff through the process, using Romtec’s comprehensive checklist.
“The Romtec rep, was very responsive to our maintenance folks and made himself available for after-the-fact questions if they came up,” Andrews says. “The value is really there on the customer service, and that’s really important to us, because it ultimately means that the taxpayers get what they pay for.”