Tahoe Keys sewer pump station replacement project underway

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – If you've driven on Tahoe Keys Boulevard near Venice Drive this summer you've most likely noticed the construction under the roadway and traffic being redirected. It has all been to replace a wastewater pump station.

South Tahoe Public Utility District has been at work to replace the station that transports all the wastewater from Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake, the Y, and Tahoe Keys, to the wastewater treatment plant. The current pump station is 60 years old and needs to be replaced to improve the reliability of this critical piece of infrastructure and protect Lake Tahoe.

South Tahoe Public Utility District’s sewer system is gravity fed. When you flush the toilet or take a shower, the water that runs down the drain flows by gravity to one of 40 wastewater pump stations in South Lake Tahoe. Inside the pump station is a wet well that receives and temporarily stores wastewater. As the wet well fills, pumps turn on and wastewater is pumped

The Tahoe Keys pump station is one of the five largest wastewater pump stations in South Lake Tahoe. Replacing this pump station requires a new 20-foot excavation, installation of a new wet well, three new pumps, and connections from the new station to the existing sewer system, including new pipes and manholes on Tahoe Keys Blvd. Due to the environmentally sensitive
area and high groundwater, a generator must run 24/7 to keep groundwater from flooding the project site. The removed groundwater is then filtered and discharged into the sewer system.

To date, the wet well has been successfully installed and new pipes and manholes are currently being installed on Tahoe Keys Blvd.

This stage of the project now requires bypass pumping 24/7. This will pump the wastewater around the station to allow for the new station to be connected to the existing system without interrupting transport of wastewater to the treatment plant. This work will occur 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is expected to run through mid-September.

Construction projects come with unavoidable disturbances and South Tahoe Public Utility District is working with the contractor to minimize impacts. Tahoe Keys Boulevard is closed between Venice Drive and Monterey Drive and a detour has been set up on Danube Drive. A Tier 4 generator in a sound attenuation enclosure is being used to minimize emissions and noise. Best management practices are being implemented for dust control as well. If you have questions regarding this project, contact the project manager at 530-544-6474 x6258.