Last week the virtual Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) for  the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant Effluent Outfall TBM to be used for the Clearwater Project  in Los Angeles  was successfully performed.  Attended by representatives from Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, the contractor, CM and design teams, it was performed over a one-and-a-half-week period for 3-4 hours per day showing the location and operation of the various TBM components.

The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Sanitation Districts) awarded to Dragados USA Inc the EUR542.45 million (USD630 million) construction contract for the Clearwater Project at the beginning of 2019. The project will protect local waterways by addressing aging infrastructure and involves building a new 11km (7mile) long, 5.5 m (18 foot) diameter tunnel to convey treated water from the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson to existing ocean outfalls at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro.

Next year  the TBM whose name will be chosen in the fall by students, will be lowered into the shaft and tunnelling will begin.

Construction of the tunnel access shaft continues. In preparation for tunnelling, three underground concrete maintenance blocks will be created along the tunnel alignment by a drill rig injecting cement below ground to enable safe inspection and repair of the TBM's cutting head. The first maintenance block, located on the east side of Harbor Regional Park adjacent to the 110 freeway, will be completed by the end of July. Work on the second maintenance block, located on the southwest side of Harbor Regional Park, is expected to begin in August.

Construction is scheduled to end in 2026. Visit https://www.clearwater.lacsd.org/. 30/20.