L.A. Board OKs Hyperion Plan

Plans to broaden the scope of a project to overhaul and expand the Hyperion sewage plant have won the endorsement of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works despite El Segundo’s concerns about the effect on nearby residents.

In a 4-0 vote Wednesday, the board approved an updated plan calling for a finished facility capable of providing intensified treatment for 450 million gallons of sewage per day. The original plan contemplates upgraded treatment for 330 million gallons per day.

El Segundo says the city of Los Angeles has not adequately considered air pollution, noise pollution and other problems the Hyperion expansion might cause for residents near the Playa del Rey plant. Los Angeles, it argues, should minimize construction at Hyperion by upgrading treatment at other plants in its sewage system.

El Segundo has filed a suit against Los Angeles alleging that the plant’s operations and the expansion work create a public nuisance. City Manager Ron Cano said Friday that El Segundo will file a second suit if Los Angeles does not respond to its concerns over the updated plan.

But Hyperion engineer Sam Furuta defended the updated plan. “The alternative we’ve selected is the best one in terms of environmental impacts, costs, scheduling and everything else, in our opinion,” Furuta said Friday.