Sewer lift station for Camp Switzerland approved

By Mike Harris

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

Bringing the old Camp Switzerland campsite at Lake Gregory back to life took the first step on Aug. 6 when San Bernardino County supervisors unanimously approved going ahead with a sewer lift station for the camp.

The lift station project will construct a redundant dual pump/pipe sewer lift station to move sewage from the camp’s low point to the existing gravity sewer lines.

The projected cost for the lift station is just over $1.7 million but the money won’t be coming from the county. Rather, the county was able to tap the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for funding. The project is slated to start spring 2025.

County sources stressed that the $1.7 million is strictly for construction of the lift station.

Any funding for developing a new Camp Switzerland will have to come from other sources.

When the old Camp Switzerland was active, campers used restroom facilities that included a pit toilet design, basically a hole in the ground.

County sources said the old system of handling human waste was not the solution for a future Camp Switzerland, hence a new way of handling the waste had to be developed. The answer was a lift station.

“The proposed improvements consist of construction and installation of a sewer lift station servicing new cabin sites, installation of two new high density polyethelene (HDPE) pipes connecting to an existing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sewer pipeline, and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) communication system with battery backup,” according to county documents.

“Ancillary improvements will include surface structures such as equipment pads. The maximum depth of excavation associated with the sewer lift station will range between 10 to 15 feet with potential zones of excavation extending to depth of 20 feet below the existing ground surface (bgs).”

Proposed visitor plans for the new Camp Switzerland include tent sites and glamping cabins. RVs and tent trailers probably won’t be allowed because of the steep access roads inside the camp.