Cameras Discover Break In Major Sanitary Pipeline

There's something nasty lurking under Magnolia Avenue. An inspection of pipelines by the Ross Valley Sanitary District using video cameras revealed a major failure in a pipe under the street, from Bon Air Road to near the Doherty Drive intersection.

The RVSD will meet Thursday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. to discuss emergency action regarding that pipeline and several others around the county that need to be fixed. The contract could be awarded to a bidder as early as Friday.

The meeting will be in the Ross Valley Sanitary District office conference room, 2960 Kerner Blvd., in San Rafael.

RVSD General Manager Brett Richards hopes to get work started within the next two weeks. He says he expects the job to take close to two weeks to complete, but the road will likely be closed during repairs.

Cameras discovered a blockage in the Magnolia Avenue pipleine which hid a break in the system. Upon removing the debris, crews realized the extent of the damage.

RVSD expects it will need to replace 1,000 feet of the 18-inch diameter pipeline on Magnolia Avenue. The pipe is made of a laminated fiberglass, which can't be easily patched in this case.

"We don't believe at this time there's any cause for alarm, but the district has called for an emergency meeting," Larkspur City Manager Dan Schwartz told the City Council on Thursday night.

RVSD, which operates 200 miles of sewer lines, is looking at sections of 23 additional pipelines which urgently need repair, including 11 in San Anselmo. The RVSD serves Larkspur, Greenbrae, Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Sleepy Hollow, Kent Woodlands and San Quentin.

For more on this story visit the Ross Valley Reporter and the Marin IJ.