Construction Questions:
When is the estimated start date for the project? Once the bond financing is complete, final design and project permitting activities will commence. This phase is expected to take approximately 12 months. Physical construction is likely to start in the first half of 2010. How long will the project take? The central pump station and pipelines located outside of the Rincon community will be constructed first. These are the most significant infrastructure elements and will take the longest to build. The improvements within the community, including the work on private parcels, will follow. The project design is intended to minimize homeowner impacts during this phase as much as possible. The overall project is anticipated to take approximately 18 months to construct. How will the construction affect my landscaping/hardscaping? The small diameter pipeline between the street and your grinder pump will be installed using “trenchless” methods to avoid impacts to landscape and hardscape. Abandonment of your septic system, depending on its location, will likely result in some physical impacts to your property. Both Ventura and Santa Barbara County require removal of the septic tank lid and backfilling the tank with sand or dirt. The scope of the septic to sewer project includes restoration of your property following construction, and the District will make every effort to ensure that this is done to your satisfaction. Under extraordinary circumstances (e.g. if your septic tank is underneath your house or beneath a deck) there may be excess restoration costs that would be the homeowner’s responsibility. Where will the pump station and grinder pumps be placed? The location of the central pump station has not yet been finalized. Two sites, both near the entrance to the Rincon point community, were considered in the environmental review process. The very best location will be determined during the final engineering design phase. The currently preferred site, immediately west of the entrance gate, is located on property owned by CalTrans. Siting the central pump station here would require property acquisition or procurement of a permanent easement from the State. The alternate location, essentially where the the guard shack is now situated to the east of the entrance gate, is on common area property owned by the RPPOA. Both sites are outside of the 100-year flood zone and likely to avoid impacts to intact cultural resources. It is possible that other pump station sites may be identified and found to be superior to the two sites currently being considered. In all cases, the pump station will be designed to blend into the community aesthetic. A small structure will be required to house the pump station controls and emergency generator, but most of the facility will be located underground. The structure will be architecturally consistent with its location and the pump station itself will be state of the art infrastructure, built to exacting municipal standards. If the design goals are achieved, nobody will realize that the facility is, in fact, a sewage pump station. The District will welcome input from the community on the design details. To avoid impacts to intact cultural resources within the Rincon Point community, the grinder pump tanks will generally be placed within the footprint of your existing septic tank. This location will also minimize requirements for on-site plumbing modifications. If a homeowner has a strong desire to install the grinder pump tank in an alternate location, an archaeological investigation will be required on that property and will be conducted at the homeowner’s expense. This requirement was a key mitigation measure within the Environmental Impact Report for the project. What will happen to my septic tank? Your septic tank will be abandoned in accordance with the specific requirements set forth by the governing County Environmental Health Department. The tank will be pumped out completely and then excavated to allow for removal of the lid. The tank itself will remain in place. The grinder pump tank will be installed within the tank footprint and the rest of the tank will be backfilled with sand or cement-sand slurry. The cost for septic tank abandonment is included in the project assessment. Under extraordinary circumstances (e.g. if your septic tank is underneath your house or beneath a deck) there may be excess abandonment and/or restoration costs that would be the homeowner’s responsibility.
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