Garvanza Pump Station Replacement Project

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is proposing the Garvanza Pump Station Replacement Project (proposed project), which consists of the construction of a new Garvanza Pump Station to meet increased backup potable water supply demands and building standards; replacement of the Highland Reservoir Regulator Station to provide operational redundancy and increase backup supply; upsizing of existing trunk lines to replace older piping and improve pressure; installation of a new residual control system to monitor and manage water quality; and replacement of the existing electrical substation to support the new facilities. The overall purpose of the proposed project is to improve the resiliency and operational flexibility of the LADWP Water System by replacing and upgrading aging and deteriorating infrastructure and increasing vital backup supply. The proposed project is located in the Highland Park neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles at 420 North Avenue 62. The project site is situated in the southern half of a 7.4-acre site that was the former site of the Highland Reservoir, and currently includes the Garvanza Pump Station, Meridian Tank, Highland Reservoir Regulator Station, Meridian Regulator Station, and an electrical substation. The northern half of the former Highland Reservoir site is occupied by Garvanza Park. The proposed project also includes installation of a power line for the electrical substation and fiber optic line for the communications equipment along North Avenue 63, Garvanza Avenue, and Figueroa Street. Built in 1907, the existing Garvanza Pump Station is a dual zone facility capable of providing potable water to Highland Park Tank (778 Service Zone) and Eagle Rock Reservoir (950 Service Zone) with suction from the Meridian Tank (619 Service Zone). Due to mainline leaks in the distribution system caused by high discharge pressures, the Garvanza water pumps no longer serve as the primary supply but remain on standby and serve as emergency backup in case of an outage at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s LA-17 connection. The existing Highland Reservoir Regulator Station serves as backup supply to the 778 Service Zone from the 950 Service Zone and is currently the only LADWP-owned backup supply in the eastern 778 Service Zone. The existing Garvanza Pump Station building has severe structural deficiencies and does not meet the current building code. Several sizeable horizontal and vertical wall cracks have developed over time making building collapse a possibility in the event of a major earthquake. The project site has experienced historical settlement and is located in the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone, making it a seismic safety concern. In 1989, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission adopted Garvanza Pumping Station and Site of Highland Reservoir as a historic-cultural monument based on its age, history, and architectural design. The site was listed as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 412 prior to the decommissioning of the Highland Reservoir. Due to the extensive structural damage, current building code deficiencies, and based on the pump station’s operational requirements to serve as an essential and critical emergency backup facility, a new pump station is proposed, and the existing pump station would be decommissioned and remain in-place. Construction of the proposed project is expected to commence in mid-2027 with completion anticipated in late 2030.