"For the draft environmental impact report, we have to have all the options on the table and then receive input," said Adel Hagekhalil, a division manager with the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.
The City Council discussed the project Tuesday night.
Councilman Todd Campbell expected the council would ask staff members to draft a letter to Los Angeles supporting the other option of the sewer that would be outside the city and on the Griffith Park side of the Ventura (134) Freeway.
"It's clear the southern alignment would have less of an impact," Campbell said prior to the meeting. "A lot of the roads on the L.A. side go into the park. I'd be surprised if they tried to push for the northern alignment. I wouldn't be happy with that."
Campbell had to recuse himself from the discussion at the council meeting because his parents own property in the Rancho District.
The northern alignment would come through Burbank's Rancho District.
Rancho resident Floran Frank distributed fliers to many homes in an effort to get neighbors out to Tuesday's meeting.
Frank, a 45-year resident of the area predicted that the sewer project would be "a disaster" for a wonderful and special area of the city and could reduce the value of what she estimates is her $3-million home.
"If this goes in, I'll get zilch," Frank said. "Our property values will go down to nothing."
Communication between Los Angeles and Burbank has been going on since the project began nearly five years ago. Recently, staff members were allowed to see an administrative draft of the impact report as a courtesy, interim Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford said.
"The City Council is very interested in what is going on with it," Teaford said.
As are residents of the Rancho neighborhood.
The city needs to do something to protect the residents and object to the alignment through the neighborhood, resident Michael Scandiffio said.
