GSD closes deal for Burnham Strip property

The Granada Sanitary District closed a deal to buy 6.2 acres on the Burnham Strip in El Granada from the San Mateo County Harbor District for $800,000 on Tuesday afternoon. This is the first step in the district’s plan to build a wet weather storage system under the strip.

The project will locate two large storage pipes under the land, which will act as a buffer system during wet weather, accepting high-than-average sewage flow until it can be routed to the Sewer Authority Midcoastside plant in Half Moon Bay. This will greatly reduce the chances of sewage overflows in wet weather, which have been a problem in the past.  Overflows could result in fines to SAM.

GSD bought the land, and will join with the Montara Water and Sanitary District in building the actual project, according to GSD board member Ric Lohman. The full cost, with land, is estimated at about $2 million. GSD has applied to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office for a stimulus grant of $500,000 for the project.

Once the project is completed, the land can be restored to its current state. But Lohman said he’d like to involve the community in deciding how the land could ultimately be used.

The Harbor District had been listing the property for $1.3 million as a potential development site, but it was less than certain that the county would permit building on the site.