Construction has begun on a sewer line in Ventura’s Pierpont neighborhood, the site of a major underground gasoline leak, and is expected to conclude in October.
The pipe was compromised by a subsurface gasoline plume associated with the fuel leak in late September 2024. Monmouth Way was closed after authorities discovered an estimated 2,000 gallons of gasoline had leaked into the city’s sewer system.
The work on Monmouth Way between Pierpont and Harbor boulevards will occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and began this month, said Jennifer Nance, a spokesperson for the city of Ventura.
Traffic control currently remains in place around the construction site outside of the regular hours, she said.
Night work is expected mid-August, followed by around-the-clock construction shifts early September.
Portions of the project also extend into the Harbor Boulevard intersection near the southbound Highway 101 Seaward Avenue off-ramp.
The project, in Councilmember Alex Mangone’s District 7, is funded through the city’s disaster recovery fund, Nance said.
The sewer repair and replacement project will be done by Sam Hill and Sons, Inc., with construction management services from HDR Engineering, Inc., and is to replace about 335 feet of pipe in the city’s sewer collection system on Monmouth Way, according to a May 19 staff report.
Mangone said the sewerline project is separate from the direct remediation and cleanup of the gas leak, which Sinclair and their contractors are completing at the direction of the state and regional water quality control boards.
“It’s important to note that all the work the city has funded to date is due to the impacts to the stormwater and wastewater systems on Monmouth Way,” Mangone said in a text message.
The sewer project carries an estimated budget of $5.8 million, including about $4.15 million for construction, Nance said. Remaining funds cover design, permitting, construction management and other project costs.
According to a May 19 staff report, when the City Council approved the sewer project, the cost did not include overall costs concerning the fuel leak.
Total city costs related to the gasoline leak have reached about $5.2 million, and Ventura is pursuing reimbursement through available cost-recovery measures, Nance said.
The fuel leak from 2024 contaminated soil, groundwater and sewer infrastructure. Authorities traced the source to the Harbor Sinclair gas station on Harbor Boulevard. The street was temporarily reopened in the first week of March in anticipation of the repairs underway, Nance said.
Because excavation could release localized gasoline vapors, the city is conducting on-site air monitoring to detect gasoline vapors in real time.
The city has coordinated with Ventura County Public Health and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District regarding potential impacts from the project.
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board said in March that groundwater cleanup at the site is expected to continue for about two more years before regulatory standards are met, Nance said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura begins sewer repair following 2024 gasoline leak
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
