When a major rainstorm flooded Coronado’s streets on Jan. 22 of last year, the Parker Pump Station, responsible for collecting storm water in the Country Club area of the city, was turned off. In certain areas of the city, flooding occurred up to 5 feet.
The city had said the station was turned off at the time due to water build-up that would have short circuited the electrical controls. However, a new pump station that avoids these problems is in the works.
The Parker Pump Station project proposes to accommodate a storm drain wet well and valve unit, an emergency generator and an electrical/control room as well as other miscellaneous underground vaults, piping and appurtenances, according to a staff report from December 2021.
Now the project, built to prevent flooding in homes and pollution to the ocean, is scheduled to be completed in a few months.
Filanc, the design-build contractor, anticipates the new pump station will be operational this summer, with decommissioning of the existing pump station and construction of a public green space completed shortly thereafter, according to Kelli Maples, the city’s senior management analyst.
There will be about 6,000 square feet of green space added to the neighborhood with this project. The city purchased the neighboring property, which allowed for the layout to be shifted and accommodate the green space. The size of the pump station was not impacted, wrote Maples.
Filanc just completed installation of a new 48-inch storm drain pipe on Jan. 24 along with modifications to the existing storm drain cleanout, according to the project’s webpage.
In the meantime, the city has implemented protective measures to prevent erosion and ensure runoff enters the storm drain system as intended, according to Maples. Two portable backup pump units are stationed for quick deployment, and a generator is available for electrical outages.
We have also ensured that spare sewer and storm wet well parts are on hand, and the pump station alarms have been tested. Though we are experiencing a dry winter, the city remains vigilant in our emergency preparedness efforts.
Senior management analyst Kelli Maples
“We have also ensured that spare sewer and storm wet well parts are on hand, and the pump station alarms have been tested. Though we are experiencing a dry winter, the city remains vigilant in our emergency preparedness efforts,” Maples wrote in an email.
The city relies on pump stations because of Coronado’s low elevation and flat topography, according to Maples. Within the Country Club Estates vicinity, stormwater does not naturally gravitate toward the ocean; therefore, it must be pumped to the ocean.
The original Parker Pump Station is the largest of 20 pump stations across Coronado and it extends 35 feet into the ground. During the Jan. 22 storm, it filled with water to a point where the city had to shut down the pump station to prevent electrical controls from shorting out.
It was originally constructed in 1983 and was used to service both storm water and wastewater flows, responsible for collecting and routing these flows in the Country Club area of the city.
However, just a year before the flood, the pump station started its replacement project due to it aging and failing. It cost the city $26 million with $3 million provided in federal appropriations.
The new Parker Pump Station will replace the current station located at the western end of the city, along the Naval Base boundary. The replacement project will completely rebuild the pump station to better protect it from impacts from flooding and storm surge.
