Neighbors lose backyards because of old sewer line
By Lesley Marin
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (KCAL, KCBS) — After years of legal battles, dozens of Huntington Beach neighbors lost their backyards so sanitation crews could access an aging pipeline.
Roughly two years ago, the Orange County Sanitation District notified more than two dozen homeowners that they would need to access a massive, vital underground sewage pipe running through properties along Rhone Lane. To do so, the district would need to dig up residents’ backyards. Homeowners would also need to remove any structures and improvements, including pools and patios.
Over the last two years, some of the 29 homeowners, such as Ted Beresford, have agreed to the district’s terms.
“It’s been total, unmitigated chaos,” Beresford said when construction began in March 2026. “Unnecessary destruction. They’ve taken out the pool. They have destroyed the yard for no reason.
Beresford said that when he agreed to the terms allowing crews to access the sewer easement, which was built in the 1950s, he didn’t expect the district to take one-third of his backyard.
“I know there was an easement; however, an easement is not ownership,” Beresford said. “An easement is access. OC Sanitation interpreted this as an ownership.”
Other homeowners, such as Phillip Rizzo, did not agree to having their yards dug up and are now in legal limbo with the district.
“If there was an emergency, it likely wouldn’t impact 29 homes,” Rizzo said. “They are taking value out of 29 families and causing anxiety, unnecessarily.”
It will be up to a judge in May to determine if Rizzo will have to get rid of the above-ground pool he built to accommodate his disabled son, AJ.
“We knew the easement was there, but all the improvements we made, we made with the ability to remove off the easement if needed,” Rizzo said.
A district spokesperson said they had been in contact with homeowners on Rhone Lane for decades. They said they must take action now before the pipe is even more at risk.
Homeowners, including Beresford, whose yard has already been destroyed, questioned why nothing had been done over the last 65 years and why it needs to happen now.
“Make sure everybody understands the gravity of what’s back here, but what’s right is to leave it alone until there’s a problem,” Beresford said.
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