The East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors on Tuesday approved an emergency resolution to repair an essential wastewater pipe puncture that occurred in the city of Alameda. 

The pipe, known as the Alameda interceptor, sits just above a storm drain and serves as a sewer line for both Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island. The line was punctured on May 28 by city workers during a repair of the storm drain in preparation for the next wet season.  

“We are moving fast on this,” said Garin Warren, manager of wastewater engineering for EBMUD. “We went out to the site, assessed the condition of the day after we were notified, and by the following day, we had a draft repair.”  

The emergency request was authorized to allow the EBMUD to have “whatever funds are necessary” to repair the damage without requiring contracts, bids, or other red tape due to the potential risk of sewage flooding and water contamination, according to Warren. 

During the hearing, Warren said they would weld a steel plate over the damaged hole and cover it with a concrete cap to ensure no leakage will occur.  The sewage line had been previously flagged for an upgrade in the coming years, but Warren noted that it still has years of operation left.  

Warren estimated that the total cost of repairs will be just under $500,000 and aims to have the work completed by the end of July.  

“Our intent is to complete the repairs before the start of the wet weather season, both our work in the cities, and when we’re done with our portion, we’ll come back to the board, to declare an end of the emergency,” he said. 

Warren noted that they will request that the city of Alameda pay for the costs of repair damaged by the pipe.