{"id":317220,"date":"2026-05-15T13:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/317220\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:30:20","slug":"altadenas-latest-rebuilding-roadblock-how-to-pay-for-sewage-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/317220\/","title":{"rendered":"Altadena’s latest rebuilding roadblock: How to pay for sewage upgrades?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Michele Hanisee has been doing everything in her power to expedite the arduous process of rebuilding her Altadena home. <\/p>\n

But after navigating permitting delays, insurance stalemates and design flaws, there\u2019s still one big unresolved issue that\u2019s complicating her progress: sewage. <\/p>\n

Hanisee owns one of nearly 700 properties in Altadena that\u2019s never had sewer lines, instead operating for decades on now-outdated septic tanks or even more archaic and environmentally hazardous cesspools. <\/p>\n

L.A. County officials \u2014 and many residents, included Hanisee \u2014 would like to connect these pockets of Altadena to the county sewage system. <\/p>\n

But the cash-strapped county government<\/a> said it simply cannot afford the estimated $70 million the new lines would cost. And although officials hope the county can eventually acquire state and federal funding for the project, the lack of certainty on the issue has left hundreds of fire survivors in a stalemate. <\/p>\n

\u201cDo I build [with] septic or wait for a sewer line?\u201d said Hanisee, 59. She said this issue has been particularly frustrating as the county promised expedited rebuilding permits; \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help much if they don\u2019t expedite the infrastructure work,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a major financial concern. Several fire survivors in this situation told The Times that they feel torn between planning for an upgrade to county-run sewers, or just moving ahead with rebuilding and improving their onsite wastewater systems. Either option could bring hefty costs, particularly if the county doesn\u2019t end up paying for the sewer line upgrade and it falls on residents. The worst-case scenario, many said, would be fixing up their septic system to meet current requirements, and subsequently having to pay for the sewer line installation and connection later on. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you move forward when you don\u2019t know how much money you have to spend on the build?\u201d Hanisee said. <\/p>\n

\"An <\/p>\n

On Alpine Villa Drive, shown May 1, 2026, homes have mostly operated on now-outdated cesspool systems for sewage. The county is looking to install sewer lines here as the community rebuilds, but funding issues have left the project\u2019s future in limbo. <\/p>\n

County officials say they are aware of the quagmire facing these residents, yet they have no timeline for \u2014 or guarantee of \u2014 a resolution on the issue. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything comes back to money,\u201d said Anish Saraiya, the Altadena recovery director for L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. \u201cWe have more than $2.5 billion worth of public infrastructure we have to rebuild, including these sewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the county remains hopeful that Congress will come through with $16 billion requested in federal aid<\/a> for the region\u2019s recovery from the Eaton and Palisades fires, which could be used on the sewer project \u2014 but that hasn\u2019t yet been allocated or even promised. His team also is exploring potential state funding or other outside money, he said. <\/p>\n

But even if the cash were available tomorrow, Saraiya noted that the engineering and construction could be lengthy, and the project could be completed after homes that need it are otherwise ready to be occupied. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of uncertainties,\u201d Saraiya said. \u201cWe feel confident we can secure the funding necessary to make sure that it\u2019s not an obligation on homeowners, but that is a bit of a timing challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Michele <\/p>\n

Michele Hanisee, shown May 1, 2026, is trying to rebuild her home on Gaywood Drive as fast as possible. But she said it\u2019s hard to move forward with looming uncertainty around her home\u2019s sewage system, as she\u2019s always operated on a standalone septic system. The county has said it would like to install and connect such homes to sewer lines, but don\u2019t have the money to do so. <\/p>\n

Timing, however, is of the essence for fire survivors. Many say they can\u2019t afford to lose momentum on their rebuild, concerned about losing contractors, rising construction costs or how additional delays could further shrink their already-dwindling insurance payouts for temporary housing.<\/a><\/p>\n

Others feel completely stymied by this latest headache, which only builds on other unexpected costs<\/a> and hurdles in an already complicated process. <\/p>\n

\u201cWill we be forced to go onto the sewer?\u201d said Patricia Anderson, Hanisee\u2019s neighbor, who still hasn\u2019t decided whether she can or will rebuild. \u201cAnd will we have a big expense for that? Those kind of issues are a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Patricia <\/p>\n

Patricia Anderson, 83, shown May 1, 2026, would love to rebuild her Altadena lot on Gaywood Drive, but the lack of clarity around potential sewage upgrades for her street has exacerbated the already overwhelming process. <\/p>\n

About half of the 682 lots with on-site sewage systems \u2014 most of which are septic tanks \u2014 experienced fire damage or total destruction, according to county records. These systems, scattered across Altadena, \u201cpose significant risks of groundwater contamination, surface water pollution and potential public health hazards,\u201d according to a statement from the L.A. County Department of Public Works. But the department noted that replacing all of them at once is a large-scale project that \u201crequires a level of cross-departmental integration that has historically been difficult to achieve in disaster recovery settings.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the county has funded technical planning for the sewer expansion, but environmental reviews, feasibility studies and securing resident permissions \u2014 as many of the affected streets are private \u2014 have not been completed. <\/p>\n

Even though county officials hope to find a way to pay for a widespread sewer upgrade, they\u2019ve also presented residents with an option to form small community improvement districts, or property tax assessment groups, to finance small portions of municipal sewer lines. About a dozen neighborhood groups are considering that option, but many fire survivors worry it only adds to their already-squeezed budgets<\/a>; estimates of up to $70,000 per lot have been circling neighborhood group chats, if not more. The county\u2019s estimate of the cost by parcel is actually higher: between $85,000 and $134,000, depending on a property\u2019s location and topography.<\/p>\n

But the idea of a fragmented sewer installation and residents footing the bill misses the context of this moment, said Morgan Whirledge, a new representative on the Altadena Town Council, which can pass along concerns or recommendations to Los Angeles County leaders, but holds no real governing power or spending authority. He is a fire survivor whose home previously ran on a cesspool system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work presents an opportunity to coordinate,\u201d Whirledge said, noting ongoing undergrounding of power lines by Southern California Edison and other widescale construction. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to come rip a street up twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s Department of Public Works has said that residents rebuilding like-for-like, without major changes to the size or setup of their home, can continue to use on-site septic systems, if they\u2019re in good condition. But any other rebuild requires additional testing and potential upgrades or expansions. <\/p>\n

\"Morgan <\/p>\n

Morgan Whirledge surveys the initial stages of rebuilding at his Altadena lot on May 1, 2026, including where his outdated cesspool system still sits underground. <\/p>\n

If residents are willing to take a gamble on the unfunded sewer expansion project, rebuilds can be approved \u201cwith the intent to connect later, even if the sewer installation isn\u2019t yet scheduled,\u201d the Public Works Department statement said. <\/p>\n

Barger, Altadena\u2019s most direct governmental representative, said she understands this is an issue \u201cthat can slow recovery if we don\u2019t get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy focus is on finding a path forward that gives residents clarity, avoids unnecessary costs, and ensures we\u2019re rebuilding Altadena in a way that is sustainable for decades to come \u2014 not just patching together short-term fixes,\u201d Barger said in a statement. <\/p>\n

Some worry that 16 months after the fire, it\u2019s already too late for that.<\/p>\n

Hanisee is still waiting on her permits, which if approved, include plans to connect to a new county-run sewer, which she hopes isn\u2019t too optimistic. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this huge unknown liability for people whose streets didn\u2019t have a sewer line,\u201d Hanisee said. \u201cWe just want to go home and also not be forced to sell and leave because of all these issues that are creating obstacles to rebuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because she\u2019s not building like-for-like, if she ends up needing to rely on her old septic tank, it will require additional testing and possibly an expansion or update, both of which would add more costs to her rebuild. She also worries that she\u2019ll end up having to pay for the new sewage lines. <\/p>\n

What once felt like quirks of their Altadena neighborhood \u2014 helping upkeep the road, running on a cesspool \u2014 \u201call these things … have turned into nightmares,\u201d Whirledge said. \u201cIt\u2019s this cumulative effect of these incremental cost increases and complicating factors. That can be a huge blow at a time when you\u2019re already really vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He and his family transitioned from the cesspool to septic for their rebuild, while also building for the possibility of a future sewer line connection \u2014 a plan he realizes is cost-prohibitive for many fire survivors, especially when there\u2019s still a real chance that residents have to fund the new sewer line.<\/p>\n

Decommissioning his old cesspool and buying the new septic tank already cost almost $10,000, he said, and installation and testing could easily triple that. His insurance policy does provide some reimbursement for code upgrades, but he said it won\u2019t come close to the costs the family is facing. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of money,\u201d Whirledge said, \u201cespecially for something you want to never have to think about.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A worker pumps sewage from a portable toilet on the property of Morgan Whirledge, who is in the initial stages of rebuilding at his Altadena lot, including where his outdated cesspool system still sits underground. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michele Hanisee has been doing everything in her power to expedite the arduous process of rebuilding her Altadena…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[76978,5759,132607,166,3288,132608,1073,1793,48,52,51,47,50,49,1741,47924,132604,132605,132606,11565,37711],"class_list":["post-317220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-additional-testing","tag-altadena","tag-anish-saraiya","tag-county","tag-fire-survivor","tag-hazardous-cesspool","tag-home","tag-issue","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-lot","tag-many-resident","tag-michele-hanisee","tag-morgan-whirledge","tag-now-outdated-septic-tank","tag-public-works","tag-sewer-line"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}