The sewer lift station that is serving new development on North Harlan and Roth roads — and is intended to serve even more as the city expands even further — needs a lift of its own.
On Monday, the Lathrop City Council authorized the creation of a Capital Improvement Project for the Woodfield Park sewer pump station upgrade that is needed to provide a boost to the new industrial parcels east of I-5 and alleviate stress on the downstream Historic Lathrop sewer system.
Once completed, the existing lift station will be outfitted with new pumps and will establish a connection to a 10-inch force main that will allow the flows to be pumped all the way out to the Manteca Water Quality Control Facility, using mains that connect to the McKinley Avenue sewer pump facility.
The creation of the CIP means that the city will transfer $320,000 from the waste water capital replacement fund, a move that will allow staff to move forward with the engineering design and begin construction on the much-needed piece of Lathrop’s sprawling sewer puzzle.
And it could be good news for potential future growth on the old Sharpe Army Depot facility as the new additions could facilitate a potential future connection of the base to the city’s existing wastewater collection system. According to the staff report prepared for the item, the new connection could potentially work because the additional flows will prevent the settling of solids in the sewer main on McKinley Avenue.
In addition to the practical need — the upgrade will allow for more development in the North Harlan and Roth Road area, which has become a hub for light industrial and logistical warehousing by attracting tenants like UPS — the lift station upgrade is also called for in the Wastewater System Master Plan, which identified the cost for the overhaul at $320,000.
By alleviating stress on the Historic Lathrop section of town, where development is not likely to occur with all of the outward growth on Lathrop’s borders, the city is able to ensure quality service to its longtime residents while ensuring that new growth doesn’t adversely impact long-standing residents. Some new projects like River Islands have their own lift stations, and new growth in the Central Lathrop Specific Plan is being aided by the installation of a lift station that was paid for by developer that salvaged the abandoned project, so the bolster of an existing facility will likely ensure that Historic Lathrop, Woodfield Estates, and new development along the city’s northeastern border — including the new Pilot Flying J Truck Stop and other parcels that were annexed into the City of Lathrop — continue to be served.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
