Pacific Marine Mammal Center expansion project, water reclamation plant moves forward
By SARA HALL
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) is moving forward with plans to expand and add a water reclamation plant following unanimous approval by the Planning Commission this week.
After a few minor modifications to the landscape plan, including removal of the queen palms, commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of the project on Wednesday (July 6).
The proposed improvements include upper- and lower-level additions to PMMC, a two-story addition to the animal shelter that will be shared by the two organizations, decks and walkways connecting the shared-use area to the PMMC, landscaping, an expanded educational component, and a new water reclamation system housed within an accessory building.
Overall, commissioners were supportive of the project.
“What’s not to like?” asked Commissioner Steve Kellenberg.
There’s also a functional need to expand in order to meet the educational and operational work done at the PMMC, added Commissioner Susan Whitin. The educational component with the water plant is also interesting, she noted, as an example for others to learn from.
Commissioners specifically praised the proposed water reclamation facility, which is estimated to reduce PMMC’s water usage by an estimated 85 to 90% annually.
“It’s a remarkable project,” Whitin said. “The water savings is jaw dropping.”
It’s very timely considering the drought and recent water mandates in California, she noted.
Water is a huge issue right now, said Commission Chair Jorg Dubin, pointing to the extremely low water levels in Lake Mead and the Colorado River. River management is a challenge for many states in the western U.S., he added.
“Having a project like this in our community is setting a really high bar for what needs to happen all over the western part of the United States – in terms of water management – so congratulations on that, that’s pretty amazing,” Dubin said. “The water reclamation is such a huge thing that I just hope that people pay attention to what you guys are doing and understanding that there is no cost benefit other than…it’s the right thing to do.”
The investment in this type of system is notable, particularly during a drought when creative water recycling and reuse is encouraged, several commissioners agreed.
“Congratulations to the whole team and to this nonprofit for putting us on the map in a new way and it’s another example of how unique our little town is,” Whitin said.
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Rendering by Gary Headrick/Courtesy PMMC
A rendering of the proposed PMMC project
The new water plant will be a big improvement for the PMMC, said Joey Fallon, senior project engineer with TJP Engineering and the team member responsible for the project’s water treatment and recirculation system. The existing “dump and fill” process works on an aging system and uses a lot of energy and utilities, he noted.
“This will be a massive upgrade to what they currently have with their operation,” Fallon said.
The proposed plant will offer “somewhat of an alternative approach to water filtration,” Fallon explained.
It’s still mechanical filtration, he noted, but instead of a pressurized sand filter (which uses a lot of energy to move the water through and a lot of water to clean the filter) they will use a “drum filter.”
Essentially, water goes into a large drum that’s surrounded with mesh panels, Fallon explained. The water flows through the panels and solids and particulates collect in the drum, he continued, it then spins out and goes out to the sewer. The filtered water is then treated and recirculated into the PMMC’s system.
Fallon noted that the new system will also be a more efficient process for the PMMC team and improve the water quality for the animals by removing the waste from the water much faster.
Overall, it uses significantly less water than the current filtration system, he emphasized.
The proposed water reclamation facility would occupy a vacant portion of the adjacent city-owned property located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road. The parcel is currently used for various city tasks, include storing lifeguard towers during non-peak season, providing a dedicated turnaround space for emergency vehicles and space for construction staging.
The approximately 2,000-square-foot water reclamation facility would house equipment for filtration, temperature control, ozonation and deaeration, pool chemical storage rooms, water storage tanks and a wet well pit. The roof the building will also provide an equipment area for air conditioning, drum filters, pumps and a water heater/chiller. This equipment replaces the inefficient life support system located behind the facility and would enable PMMC to recycle its pool water.
Currently, the seven rehabilitation pools follow a “dump and fill” operation, with each pool drained and re-filled an average of two to three times per day. This equates to a use of 15,000 gallons per day or 5,475,000 gallons per year. The proposed water reclamation facility would enable the operator to pump soiled water to the new building for treatment and reuse. Because all soiled pool water is currently discharged into the local sewer system, the proposed improvements would reduce water usage by an estimated 85-90%.
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Jeff Meberg, chairman of the PMMC board of directors, said he’s been trying to get this project into development for many years. It’s a “massive relief,” to finally have a project on the table, he said.
“When I saw how much water we were using at the PMMC, I thought, ‘This is ridiculous, we’ve got to recycle our own water,’” he said.
Addressing a commissioner question, Meberg noted that won’t lower operating costs and there’s not a good overall return on investment. They are raising $8 million in a capital campaign in order to fund the project, he said.
“When I first joined the board, nobody on the board wanted to put in their own water treatment plant because the cost was too high, but it’s the right thing to do,” Meberg said. “The whole thing about PMMC is doing the right thing – we’re out saving seals.”
The project proposed a lot of great features, like expanding the educational program and architectural enhancements, but it boils down to reducing water usage, he added.
“Make no mistake, this project is about water,” Meberg said.
It will reduce the amount discharged into the local sewer system by up to five million gallons every year, Meberg said.
Officials have urged conservation and the state put mandates into place for municipalities to reduce water, he noted.
“This project will make Laguna Beach the greatest municipality in the state of California – that’s how much we will reduce the water,” Meberg said. “This will be a fantastic project for the City of Laguna Beach. It will be a fantastic representation on what other people should be doing for water (reduction efforts).”
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Rendering by Gary Headrick/Courtesy PMMC
Another view of the rendering of the proposed PMMC project
In Wednesday’s action, the commission approved Conditional Use Permit amendments, Design Review, a Coastal Development Permit, and variance to remodel and expand the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter and PMMC in the institutional zone of the Laguna Canyon Annexation Area Specific Plan.
The variance is required to encroach into the side and rear yard setbacks with the proposed water reclamation facility, to construct the facility on a separate lot from the main building to which it is subordinate, to exceed the maximum accessory building volume, and to exceed the fence height and provide circulatory features (accessible lift and stairs) within the side yard setback.
The project benefits outweigh any concerns regarding variances, Dubin said.
In order to support the variance, there needs to be a hardship or unique condition and this definitely project qualifies, Kellenberg agreed. It’s integrated into the character of the canyon and there are minimal adverse impacts, he added.
Plans call for an approximately 1,350-square-foot, two-story addition to the existing single-story animal shelter building, with an additional 1,000 square feet of mechanical and garage storage area and 675 square feet of decking and elevated walkways. The shared use of this addition would include new offices, with workspace for the animal services officers, cattery and storage areas within an enclosed garage sized to accommodate small boats. An elevated walkway would connect the upper-level addition and proposed deck to the second floor of the PMMC building.
PMMC is also proposing an approximately 2,000-square-foot addition to the existing two-story building with animal care facilities on the first floor and office and educational space on the second floor. The additions would provide additional treatment area and a necropsy room to expand the ground-floor care facilities, while the second-floor additions are primarily intended to advance the organization’s educational mission, including a new presentation and activity room and student lab.
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Rendering by Gary Headrick/Courtesy PMMC
A rendering of the proposed expanded habitat pool at PMMC
The project also includes a new 8,600-gallon pre-release pool and two new isolation pools (1,900 and 2,400 gallons) to facilitate higher quality mammal patient care and treatment. These new proposed pools – pools E, F and G – will be located east of PMMC’s existing pools, with pools F and G located under the second-floor expansion.
The expansion of the existing pool A is also proposed, which will include shotcrete boulder outcroppings around the perimeter of the 3,500-gallon pool to emulate wild habitat. The pool will be designed with an underwater viewing area through a portion of the pool’s side wall.
All existing pools will be rehabilitated or replaced to create a connection to the water reclamation system.
The tricky part, several commissioners noted, is that PMMC will have to essentially shut down during construction.
The project still has to be considered by the city council for final approval.
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
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Sara Hall covers City Hall and is a regular contributor to Stu News Laguna.