West Basin to Build New SEA Lab Pipes

The West Basin Municipal Water District, which operates the Temporary Ocean Water Desalination Demonstration Facility at the in Redondo Beach, is building an interim piping system to supply the aquarium with fresh ocean water, according to a statement from the utility.

Last week, household bleach used at the desalination facility to prevent growth in the pipes leaked into the intake water at SEA Lab, killing thousands of fish at  the aquarium and the White Sea Bass Restoration Project.

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As soon as the leak was detected, West Basin shut down pumps and established a lower-volume supply of seawater to the tanks at SEA Lab; however, that supply of water is not enough to fully fill the existing tanks, West Basin said.

The new piping system, which will take about a week to construct, will provide the SEA Lab with enough water to fill the tanks so it can operate normally, according to West Basin. Once the system is in place, West Basin will send divers underwater to find the source of the leak and start fixing it.

Additionally, West Basin is putting together a team of engineers and experts to develop a new intake system for the SEA Lab and the White Sea Bass Restoration Program, according to the statement.

"West Basin continues to coordinate with both organizations to address and resolve this situation as soon as possible," the utility said in a statement. "The SEA Lab has indicated they will continue their education programs and community tours."

West Basin also said it can't give a repair timeline for the leak until the cause of the leak is discovered.