The Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association learned Aug. 12 that the comment period for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Sylmar Ground Return Replacement Project timeline was extended until Sept. 2. City Councilmember Mike Bonin aided in getting the extension granted.
LADWP is proposing to install a direct electrical current ground wire under Entrada Drive and West Channel Road. The project would also replace the underwater cables and the large underwater electrode bed on the ocean floor nearly four miles offshore.
Construction is slated to begin as early as June 2016.
The existing ground wire is deteriorating, and DWP claims the only option is to replace it.
Locally, the Sylmar electrode system ensures power reliability. It carries electric current when the Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI), the high-voltage direct current transmission system for most power between Los Angeles and the Pacific Northwest, experiences an irregularity.
A DWP representative told the Pacific Palisades Community Council in July that the work planned near Pacific Coast Highway at West Channel would involve installing six-inch conduits, which would be encapsulated in concrete. The street would then be repaved.
Santa Monica Canyon residents are encouraged to provide comments via the DWP website or email SMCCA secretary Marilyn Wexler at mcwexler@sc.com. SMCCA will send a formal letter to DWP in late August.
To view the draft environmental impact report, visit ladwp.com and click on the “Finances and Reports” tab, then click on “Environmental Reports” and scroll down to the Sylmar project tab.
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