The Sanitation Districts are offering two new programs for students and the public:

• A virtual tour of our wastewater treatment plants. Learn step-by-step how wastewater (sewage) is treated and converted into clean water suitable for recycling and discharge to rivers and the ocean.
• An online presentation called "Olivia's Clean Water Adventure." See through the eyes of Olivia the Otter as she encourages environmental stewardship and promotes ways to keep our waterways clean. This presentation is offered to elementary schools in Carson, Harbor City, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, and Wilmington.

These programs show the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in protecting the environment. To schedule either, please fill out the online form on the Clearwater Project website.

NAME THE TUNNEL BORING MACHINE CONTEST. Like ships, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are named before they are put into service. This fall students will have the opportunity to name the TBM that will be used to construct the Clearwater Project tunnel.

CLEAN WATERWAYS ARTWORK CONTEST. Students can also submit artwork that shows why it's important to keep our rivers and oceans clean. The winning art will be featured on the actual tunnel boring machine itself!

Submissions for both contests will be accepted beginning September 15, 2020. The finalists for both contests will receive prizes and be invited to an awards ceremony later this year. Contest details will be posted on the Clearwater website in the upcoming weeks.

Construction of the tunnel access shaft continues. Next year, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be lowered into the shaft and tunneling will begin. In preparation for tunneling, three underground concrete "maintenance blocks" will be created along the tunnel alignment. These maintenance blocks will be created by a drill rig injecting cement below ground to enable safe inspection and repair of the TBM's cutting head. The first maintenance block, located on the east side of Harbor Regional Park adjacent to the 110 freeway, will be completed by the end of July. Work on the second maintenance block, located on the southwest side of Harbor Regional Park, is expected to begin in August. If you are holding virtual community meetings and would like us to provide an update, please email Glenn Acosta, Senior Engineer in our Public Information Office, at gacosta@lacsd.org. Additionally, if you are interested in us hosting an online construction update meeting, please email Mr. Acosta.

A few years ago, the Sanitation Districts entered into a project labor agreement so that the contractor for the Clearwater Project hires from local communities. The hiring requirements for the project are that 30% of the total labor force would be local workers and 10% would be transitional workers. Dragados, the contractor constructing the new tunnel, has thus far exceeded these requirements with 50% local hires and 14% transitional workers.