DebsPAB

4235 Monterey Road
Los Angeles, CA 90032

 

PARK INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER SYSTEM

SEWER SYSTEM

Wastewater generated at Debs Park is treated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, Central District. Wastewater generated onsite is conveyed to the Hyperion Treatment Plant located on the coastline in Playa Del Rey. The comfort stations are served by clay building sewers. Comfort stations 1 and 2 drain to a City sewer line in Boundary Avenue in the Rose Hill portion of the project site. Comfort station 3 drains to a City sewer in Sivona Street, to the west of the park. Comfort Station 4 connects to the sewer pipe from the maintenance building that leads to the sewer main in Monterey Road. Comfort station 5 is drained to a City sewer line in Mercury Avenue. The building sewers from comfort stations 1, 2, 3, and 5 are currently in good condition. The condition of the building sewer from comfort station 4 is unknown since it is closed off.

The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering does not anticipate the need for improvements to offsite sewer facilities to serve the Nature Center. Sewer System Recommendations:

• Provide a connecting line from the Nature Center to the sewer line located in Griffin Avenue.

• If comfort station 4 is reopened, test the drain line for stoppage before putting comfort station 4 back into service.

SOLID WASTE

Trash collection is provided twice a week at Debs Park by the Cityƕs Bureau of Sanitation. Garbage cans are regularly emptied into trash bins located at the maintenance yard, located near the entrance to the park. Trash collected in the Debs Park area goes to the Bradley Landfill, located in the North San Fernando Valley. Green waste is recycled onsite. In addition, mulch is delivered from the Bureau of Sanitation, Department of Water and Power, and Department of Recreation and Parks to supplement onsite green waste.

Onsite Collection Recommendations:

• Expand the maintenance yard and/or provide an improved access route for the sanitation trucks within the yard.

• Provide recycling bins throughout the Park.

• Don't accept off-site mulch that contains potentially invasive plant species including castor bean, thistle, and palm.

ELECTRICITY

Electricity is provided by the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). The nearest receiving stations to the park are Distributing Stations 2 and 36, both in Highland Park northwest of the park. These stations distribute power to Debs Park.

There are four electrical meters in the park. Two are located in the maintenance building, one at comfort station 1, and the other approximately 300 feet west of the reservoir.

Restrooms are lighted on the outside. Currently, there are 14 light standards throughout the park. These include overhead floodlights at the main entrance, along the path leading from the main parking lot to the main and secondary picnic grounds, and at the ball fields in the south. The DWP has indicated that there is sufficient power to provide the current and future electricity needs of the Park.

Electricity Recommendations:

• Provide connections from the nearest existing DWP lines located under Griffin Avenue to the Nature Center. External lighting of the buildings, amphitheater, and parking lots are recommended for security purposes.

• Provide watertight enclosures for two existing panels and electric meters that are to be relocated from the Pump Room to the Maintenance Building. Relocate to the same wall with the meters. (This is required as the pump room is to be demolished).

NATURAL GAS

There is a 2-inch Southern California Gas line under Griffin Avenue. This line has sufficient capacity to supply natural gas to the Park, including the Nature Center as well as other potential future facilities.

WATER

The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) supplies the water source for Debs Park. The park is currently served by a 778-foot pressure area system, which is located within Monterey Road via a 24-inch water main. The southern portion of the park, the Rose Hill Area is served by a 737-foot pressure area system via a 6-inch water main in Mercury Avenue. The capacity of the main in Monterey Road is 1,584,000 gallons per day or 1,100 gallons per minute at a pressure of 20 pounds per square inch (psi).

Piped water enters the pump room at the park maintenance building, where the line splits. One line goes to the primary domestic water system and one goes to the primary irrigation/fire-fighting system.

Domestic System

Water is supplied to the five comfort stations (restrooms) in the park and the maintenance facility through a primary domestic water pump that boosts the water pressure to provide water. The piping in the comfort stations is copper. A secondary pump boosts the water pressure again to provide water to a comfort station on top of the hill, near the reservoir, which is currently not in use. The piping in the comfort station near the reservoir has been out of service for several years.

The exterior domestic piping is in poor condition and frequently experiences breaks. However, the piping inside the four operational comfort stations is in good condition. Other issues include:

• One of the comfort stations is not handicap accessible, although it has stainless steel fixtures that meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The other comfort stations do not meet ADA standards. The lavatories use cold water only.

• There are two drinking fountains currently available, although two restrooms have rough-ins for additional drinking fountains.

• Several other minor problems exist in the comfort stations, such as loose fixtures, low water pressure, and lack of ADA accessibility.

Irrigation System

The irrigation/fire-fighting waterline runs up the hill towards the reservoir, serving irrigation control valves, and fire hydrants along the way. The line ends at the reservoir where the water is stored for irrigation and fire suppression purposes. Rose Hill Park is served by a separate irrigation system that connects to a waterline in Mercury Avenue.

Two pipes with hose connections at the reservoir pump water out of the reservoir when necessary. A secondary irrigation pump on the side of the hill provides irrigation water for the knoll adjacent to the reservoir. (An ornamental feature of the reservoir is the Cascades, which consists of a man-made waterfall or "rapids." Today, the Cascades are in a state of disrepair).

The cement pipes that provide irrigation for the upper park are not in good condition; for example, there have been many breaks in the line. The primary and secondary irrigation pumps are, however, in good working condition. Department of Recreation and Parks employees indicate that some portions of Rose Hill Park are not getting enough irrigated water while other areas are getting too much.

Domestic and Irrigation Water System Recommendations:
The existing offsite water supply from the City is considered adequate to meet the park's irrigation and domestic water demands. However, there are opportunities to improve onsite facilities.

Domestic System
To improve the domestic water system the Draft Framework Plan recommends the following:

• Replace all exterior pipes.

• Replace the primary and secondary pumps.

• Rehabilitate the comfort stations and maintenance building toilet rooms to conform to ADA requirements. Replace all fixtures.

• Rehabilitate the comfort stations and maintenance building toilet rooms to conform to ADA and State of California Low Flush requirements. Replace all fixtures.

• Because low flush fixtures require more water pressure than the fixtures they are replacing, the water piping at the fixtures must increase in size, and waste piping will have to be modified.

• Add ADA accessible drinking fountains to comfort stations.

• Remove or rehabilitate the comfort station near the reservoir. Test the drain line for stoppage before putting the comfort station back into service.

• Water service, including installation of a fire hydrant will be allowed in order to service the Nature Center. This may include extending the existing DWP water main in Griffin Avenue approximately 1,000 feet northward beyond its current termination point at Montecito Drive. The Audubon Society/LA Nature Center will take responsibility for the costs of installation.

Irrigation System
To improve the irrigation water system, the Framework Plan recommends the following:

• Replace the existing piping and primary pump system with a new combination fire/irrigation piping system, as specified in the Facilities Report.

• Provide a new fill assembly for the reservoir, including a valve and level control.

• Repair and restore the Cascades.

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