Aerial view of Westside Reservoir
City of South Pasadena awards UltraSystems Contract to Improve Water Capture System for Community
UltraSystems won a contract with the City of South Pasadena to provide environmental consulting services for their Westside Reservoir Improvement Project. The reservoir is more than 60 years old and in desperate need of repair to meet seismic standards. According to an article in the South Pasadenan in May of 2021, the reservoir was described as a “ticking time-bomb” by South Pasadena City Council Member Evelyn Zneimer.
Westside Reservoir
The Altadena fire in 2025 added some urgency to this project. The Westside reservoir serves as a water storage facility for the Westside Pumping Station that delivers potable water to the city of South Pasadena. A seismic and structural analysis was conducted on the reservoir and it was concluded that the old tank was too damaged to repair and should be completely replaced with a new one. The project will include the construction of a new 2-million-gallon tank in the same location, a new pump station and office, a new storage building, new inlet and outlet pipelines and improvements to site drainage. The design of the new tank increases storage volume by extending the diameter from 120 feet to 130 feet to provide additional water storage in case of future fire emergencies.
Specimen found during Field Survey of Westside Reservoir
UltraSystems has determined that the project would not be exempt from CEQA, and therefore, will perform an Initial Study for this city-led public works project. This will include technical reports on Air Quality/Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Analysis, Biological Assessment and Arborist Assessment, Cultural Resources Assessment, Paleontological Resources, Noise Impact Assessment, Traffic Analysis and VMT Screening Analysis, and Hazardous Materials Assessment. The results of the Initial Study will determine next steps in the CEQA process. If there are no significant effects on the environment, then UltraSystems will provide the city with a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND). If, instead, there are significant impacts to the environment, then a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) will be developed. UltraSystems is proud to be part of this important project that improves the infrastructure and fire readiness of our Southern California community.
About South Pasadena
A beacon of sustainability with a rich history, community engagement, home to top-quality schools, dedicated City services, and world-class public safety.
About UltraSystems
UltraSystems, founded in 1994, is a multi-disciplinary, full service environmental consulting and planning firm serving both the public and private sectors. The 30-year-old firm provides expertise in development planning; site selection and analysis; CEQA and NEPA compliance; technical studies, and environmental compliance during construction. UltraSystems Environmental is a certified DBE, SBE, and WBE company that is headquartered in Irvine, California.
