Underground inspections are closing in the area where a breach happened at the Clearwater Runnel project, under Western Avenue in San Pedro, officials said.
The update on the Clearwater Tunnel project came last month from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, whose staff and project contractors are working with Cal/OSHA to move forward with phased repairs and re-entry into the underground passage way that incurred a breach a year ago.
The project, which began in 2019, is intended to replace a tunnel system built in the 1930s and extend the ocean outfalls off the Palos Verdes Peninsula to meet 21st-century standards and population needs. It runs underground from Carson to Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro, about 7 miles. Work has been halted for a year, however, after the July 2025 breach temporarily stranded workers some 320 feet below Western Avenue just north of Ninth Street.
With the aid of a custom-built, remotely operated vehicle to conduct extensive surveys and inspections, the contractor has confirmed the tunnel is stable from the entry point in Carson to the breach area, allowing restoration of ventilation, power and personnel entry to within 100 feet of the breach.
Currently, crews are at work draining water, slowly removing debris from the underground breach site, and preparing the damaged area for repair as allowed by Cal/OSHA. Once the crews reach the breach, more extensive tunnel repairs will take place.
The breach repair process is expected to take several months to complete because of the complex engineering required, confined workspace and logistics, officials said in the update.
The investigative work on Western Avenue near Fifth Street was completed in mid-May and void areas that were detected have since been filled with slurry.
The slurry was pumped down to the tunnel to fill and stabilize the breach area and debris.
Monitoring at the surface continues to detect no measurable movement at street level, officials said. Future, intermittent work on Western Avenue may require occasional, temporary traffic restrictions.
All project updates are posted on the Clearwater Project website ahead of time.
Construction at Royal Palms Beach, meanwhile, was suspended in August, following the discovery of indigenous artifacts. The Sanitation Districts have worked with the State Historic Preservation Office and State Water Board on the excavation work.
As of mid-June, shoring pile work has been completed, and the Districts have been authorized to begin removing soil around the in-ground infrastructure. The excavation work is necessary to prepare the site for eventual connection to the new Clearwater Tunnel. This first phase of excavation is scheduled to proceed under archaeological supervision. Once completed, full-scale construction operations at Royal Palms are expected to resume. There is no time frame projected for that part of the project.
The safety of those working on the project remains a top priority for the Sanitation Districts, the update said. For more information, call 877-300-9283 or email Maria Rosales-Ramirez at mrosales@lacsd.org.