Over half of Carlsbad’s pipes are made of asbestos, a continued hurdle for developers

By Katie Futterman, inewsource reporter

A recent approval of new apartments in Carlsbad shed light on a larger issue in the city: Over half of its pipes are made of asbestos cement. 

The Carlsbad Planning Commission approved a 12-unit project on 2647 Jefferson Street in October. The project replaces a single-family home with four structures, each fit with three apartment units. It is also connected to an asbestos cement pipe that provides drinking water to all of Jefferson Street.

Included in the project proposal was a request for an exemption so that the developer is only required to replace sections of the water main where new connections are made, which comes to a little more than 20 feet. Typically the city requires developers to replace the entire length of the pipe – about 100 feet in this instance. City staff said that the exception was because the city is planning to fix pipes across the city, including this one. 

“The question is, what is our fair share?” Jonathan Frankel, the developer Rincon Homes’ vice president of forward planning, asked last month in his presentation to commissioners. He said that the developers were paying fees toward a larger replacement project by the city. 

Asbestos was a common building material throughout the 20th century, and is in many buildings built prior to 1980, both in Carlsbad and around the country. Builders mostly stopped using it in the 1980s due to its health risks. Asbestos is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the United States each year. It causes several diseases, most commonly lung cancer and mesothelioma. 

In Carlsbad, asbestos pipes make up about 234 miles of water main pipelines, serving businesses and residents alike. But experts say asbestos left alone is not as dangerous as it is when disturbed, and it needs to be handled carefully. Carlsbad’s water district is in the midst of updating its master plan to identify pipe replacement projects, which it plans to present to Carlsbad City Council in the spring.  

In the meantime, staff and developers agree: The burden for Carlsbad’s old, dangerous pipes falls on the city, not individual developers. That’s an issue the city may continue to face going forward as several developments come down the pipeline. 

Some commissioners were initially wary of the exemption given asbestos’ health risks, but it was ultimately approved 6-1. 

Commissioner Alicia Lafferty was the sole vote against the project with the waiver. She said there should be a continuance to discuss the exemption given asbestos’ health concerns. 

“Asbestos is a well-known problematic material and highly documented as a safety concern for many, many years now,” Lafferty said. 

Other commissioners were also confused given what they knew about the dangers of asbestos. After asking several questions of Dave Padilla, Carlsbad’s assistant utilities director, they said they would trust “the expert.” 

Dealing with asbestos pipes is complicated. Improper removal of asbestos containing-materials violates the county’s policy. Proper removal requires a “coupling” technique, Padilla said. 

The city of Carlsbad said that all agencies within San Diego County have policies and programs to remove asbestos cement pipe from water systems and do not allow its use for pipeline repair work.

“Public health and safety is the team’s top priority when removing old pipes, and these removals are conducted by carefully uncoupling old pipes at connection points rather than cutting into them,” Carlsbad Communications Officer Amy Ventetuolo said in an emailed statement. 

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.