A massive wastewater infrastructure project in L.A. County has been paused after a tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of sanitation workers 450 feet below ground.
The incident occurred Wednesday, July 9, inside the Los Angeles Effluent Outfall Tunnel, located near the 1700 block of South Figueroa Street in Wilmington. Initially, 27 workers were trapped. Four others went in to help, leaving 31 to be rescued.
Over 100 responders, including L.A. Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue teams, were deployed to the site. About an hour later, all 31 individuals were brought to safety. Remarkably, there were no serious injuries.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, along with Councilmember Tim McOsker, Supervisor Janice Hahn, and Congressmember Nanette Barragán, rushed to the site soon after hearing the news.
“Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately,” Bass wrote on X. “You are L.A.'s true heroes.”
L.A.’s Largest Construction Project on Hold
The $630.5-million tunnel is part of the Clearwater Project, managed by the L.A. County Sanitation Districts. The project is designed to upgrade aging ocean outfall tunnels and protect waterways, while ensuring long-term reliability of the wastewater system.
Crews initially expected to complete the tunneling portion by April 2025 and finish the entire project by 2027. That timeline will be extended as experts work to determine the cause of the collapse.
“This accident will set the project back. There are several things that have to happen,” said the County Sanitation Districts’ Michel Chee. “Not until we have answers, not until we have engineering understanding, not until we have construction understanding of what happened will any work proceed.”