Costa Mesa Sanitary District wins three awards

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District was recognized with three awards earlier this month at the California Special Districts Assn.’s 2012 Annual Conference in San Diego.

The association’s Leadership Foundation, which recognizes special districts for their cautious fiscal practices and sound policies, awarded the Sanitary District with the District of Distinction award.

As a result of having no workers’ compensation claims in the last five years, the Sanitary District was also given the 2012 McMurchie Excellence in Safety Award for the Workers’ Compensation Program from the Special District Risk Management Authority.

The Sanitary District also received the 2012 Innovative Project of the Year from CSDA. It was the first public agency in California to use a new technology for evaluating the condition of sewer force mains.

Partnering with the Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis, the Sanitary District assessed the pipelines through in-line inspection tools for two of its force mains. The tools use electromagnetic technology that does not require the sensors to be in contact with the pipe wall while inside the pipe.

After the assessment, the district identified several areas within the pipelines that were corroded, causing the wall thickness to be less than 20%. The district’s board of directors then repaired the two lines for $700,000. This helped to avoid any potential disasters like mainline breaks.

— Brittany Woolsey

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