Today, Senator Mike McGuire announced a $2.5 million state investment for the County of Lake to fund needed repairs and upgrades to the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant in Clearlake after the devastating Robin Lane sewage spill earlier this year.
The funding, secured by Senator McGuire in the state budget, will support critical repairs and upgrades to Clearlake’s wastewater collection infrastructure, including modernizing and improving the system’s reliability to prevent future failures. Critical improvements include rebuilding the plant’s headworks, the entry point where wastewater first enters the plant; replacing the lines that carry effluent into the wastewater treatment facility; and adding two lift stations that pump sewage from surrounding areas into the plant.
This critical investment comes on the heels of the declaration of a state disaster in Lake County that McGuire worked to secure, making the County of Lake and other local governments eligible to seek reimbursement through the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA), with the state covering up to 75% of eligible costs associated with responding to the wastewater emergency.
On January 11, a 16-inch force main pipe ruptured in Clearlake’s Burns Valley area, sending 2.9 million gallons of raw sewage onto Robin Lane for more than 37 hours and affecting 500 rural residents. Local officials declared a health emergency the following day.
“This investment will help ensure what happened earlier this year—a massive spill of raw sewage upending the lives of Robin Lane neighbors—will never happen again,” said Senator McGuire. “For more than 37 hours, raw sewage flooded the area of Robin Lane, affecting residents, contaminating groundwater, and disrupting lives. This was truly horrific. That’s why the state is stepping up with a $2.5 million investment to help repair and upgrade this critical wastewater system and get it back on track. We’re going to keep working to ensure the full cost of the repairs is secured.”
“What happened earlier this year was horrific, and it impacted the lives of over 100 Lake County neighbors. From day one, Senator McGuire told us he would deliver, and that’s exactly what he’s done,” said Chair of Lake County Board of Supervisors, Brad Rasmussen. “Working with us to get the emergency declaration was a huge shot in the arm, and now delivering $2.5 million to help special districts rebuild the wastewater treatment plant will ensure the county can move forward with the modernization project immediately.”
“It has been very trying times for the community neighboring the Southeast Treatment Plant. We owe it to them to make sure this never happens again,” said Lake County Supervisor Bruno Sabatier. “That’s why this $2.5 million state investment is so important for the future stability of this infrastructure. Senator McGuire asked us what we needed, told us he would fight for us, and he followed through. This funding will allow us to break ground and ensure the modernization needed at the plant is completed in a timely manner.”
