Rialto Approves $3.1 Million Sewer Upgrade Along Sycamore Avenue

The Rialto City Council approved a $3.1 million sewer upgrade on Tuesday, May 12, aimed at addressing growing wastewater demands along Sycamore Avenue and supporting future residential growth in the city’s north end. 

The Sycamore Avenue Sewer Trunk Line Project replaces portions of an aging 8-inch sewer main with a larger 15-inch trunk line between Walnut St. and Heather St. The upgrade is intended to improve system reliability and accommodate residential developments. According to city documents, officials identified the project through “sewer master planning efforts and hydraulic modeling analysis” designed to address the long term capacity constraints within Rialto’s wastewater system. 

Inland Empire Community News (IECN) issued requests for comment from city officials and Rialto Water Services. At the time of publication, IECN only received a response from City Manager Tanya Williams. 

Staff reports indicate the existing sewer line along Sycamore Avenue is nearing capacity, largely due to ongoing residential growth north of the project corridor. The sewer line improvement is meant to reduce the risk of system surcharging and ensure adequate movement and transportation of wastewater as development continues. 

“The City of Rialto’s water and wastewater infrastructure is keeping pace with the city’s broader growth,” Williams wrote in an email, noting the upgrade is needed to keep pace with current and future wastewater demands. “The City regularly reviews the city’s growth in both residential and commercial or industrial areas and assesses the demand on infrastructure.” 

The project represents the second phase of a broader three-phase sewer system improvement program overseen by the Rialto Utility Authority (RUA). The first phase of the system upgrades, the Baseline Road Sewer Trunk Line, was completed in 2024. A future Acacia Avenue extension is planned as the program’s third phase. 

Construction includes installation of roughly 5,200 linear feet of 15-inch sanitary sewer trunk line, 54 linear feet of force main pipe, 14 sewer manholes, roadway restoration, traffic control and post-construction inspections. 

The work is being administered through Rialto Water Services, operated by Veolia North America, under the city’s long-term concession agreement governing water and wastewater delivery systems established in March 2012.

Following a bidding process managed through the city’s PlanetBids procurement portal, officials selected Ferreira Construction as the “lowest responsive and responsible bidder,” according to staff reports.  

Although initial engineering estimates hovered around $5.5 million, the final figure reflects changes in the economy since the initial estimate. 

“The largest driving factor in the cost difference is that the original engineer’s estimate for the project was during peak post-pandemic inflationary times,” Williams wrote, adding that neither the project’s scope, design nor long-term durability changed. “A number of factors drive down the cost of projects in the current market, including the availability of contractors and materials. As the industry recovers, we expect to see a lower cost to deliver similar capital projects.”

At present, the total project cost of $3,091,098 includes about $2.51 million in construction costs, $37,000 for construction support along with Veolia’s 20% fee in the amount of $510,000 for project management, insurance and corporate overhead expenses plus an additional $29,000 for design and insurance services previously financed in 2023.

Construction is expected to begin in May, with substantial completion targeted for late September. Work near Morgan Elementary School is scheduled to occur during the summer break from June 8 to Aug. 7 to minimize impacts during the school year. 

Funding for the project comes from Wastewater Enterprise Fund reserves and aligns with the RUA’s long-term infrastructure improvement planning process.