Michele Hanisee has been doing everything she can to speed up the difficult process of rebuilding her Altadena home.
But after navigating delays, insurance disappointments and design flaws, there’s still one big unresolved issue complicating his progress: sewage.
Hanisee owns nearly 700 properties in Altadena that have never had sewers, instead operating for decades in now-obsolete tanks or old and environmentally hazardous ponds.
LA County officials – and many residents, including Hanisee – would like to connect these Altadena bags to the sewage system.
But the cash-strapped regional government has said it will not be able to pay the estimated R70 million for the new lines that will cost. And while officials hope the county can eventually secure state and federal funding for the project, the lack of certainty on the matter has left hundreds of fire survivors in limbo.
“I’m building.” [with] septic or waiting for a sewer line?” said Hanisee, 59. He said that this issue frustrated him a lot since the district promised to speed up the rebuilding permits; “It doesn’t help much if they don’t speed up the infrastructure work,” he said.
It is also a major financial concern. Many fire survivors in the area told The Times they felt torn between planning for sewer upgrades, or continuing to rebuild and improve their wastewater systems. Either option could bring significant costs, especially if the county doesn’t end up paying for sewer improvements and it falls on residents. The worst case scenario, many say, would be to adjust their septic system to meet current needs, and then have to pay for sewer installation and connection.
“How do you move forward when you don’t know how much money to spend on construction?” Hanisee said.
On Alpine Villa Drive, shown on May 1, 2026, homes have been heavily used on now-obsolete sewage systems.
District officials say they are aware of the mess facing these residents, however they have no timeline – or guarantee – of a solution to the issue.
“Everything comes back to money,” said Anish Saraiya, Altadena recovery director for LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “We have more than $2.5 billion worth of public infrastructure to rebuild, including these facilities.”
He said the county remains hopeful that Congress will use the $16 billion requested in federal aid for the county to recover from the Eaton and Palisades fires, which could be used for the sewer project — but that has not been granted or until now. His team is also looking at possible government funding or other foreign funding, he said.
But even if the money were available tomorrow, Saraiya noted that engineering and construction could take a long time, and the work could be completed after the homes that need it are ready for occupancy.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Saraiya said. “We feel confident that we can secure the funding needed to make sure it’s not a liability for homeowners, but that’s a time challenge.”
Michele Hanisee is trying to rebuild her home on Gaywood Drive as quickly as possible. But he said it is difficult to move forward with the uncertainty that is arising regarding the domestic sewage system.
Time, however, is of the essence for fire survivors. Many say they can’t afford to lose energy in their rebuilding, worry about losing contractors, rising construction costs or how further delays could reduce their already shrinking home insurance payments.
Some feel completely cut off by this latest headache, which only adds to more unexpected costs and obstacles in an already complicated process.
“Are we going to be forced to go into the toilet?” said Patricia Anderson, Hanisee’s neighbor, who has not yet decided if she can rebuild. “And we’re going to have huge costs for that? Those issues are troubling.”
Patricia Anderson, 83, would like to rebuild her Altadena property on Gaywood Drive, but uncertainty about sewer improvements for her street has added to an already difficult process.
About half of the 682 properties with on-site sewage systems — most of them septic tanks — suffered fire damage or total destruction, according to county records. The projects, scattered throughout Altadena, “pose a significant risk of groundwater contamination, surface water contamination and potential public health hazards,” according to a statement from the LA County Department of Public Works. But the department noted that replacing them all at once is a major undertaking that “requires a level of interdepartmental coordination that has historically been difficult to achieve in disaster relief situations.”
So far, the district has financed the technical planning to expand the sewer, but the environmental review, feasibility studies and obtaining residents’ permits – since many of the affected roads are private – have not been completed.
Even as county officials hope to find a way to pay for sewer improvements, they have given residents the option of forming small community improvement districts, or property tax assessment groups, to fund small portions of municipal sewer lines. About a dozen neighborhood groups are considering that option, but many fire survivors worry it only adds to their already depleted budgets; estimates of up to $70,000 per lot have been around neighborhood group discussions, if not more. The regional average cost per parcel is actually higher: between $85,000 and $134,000, depending on location and climate.
But the idea of piecemeal sewer installation and citizens behind the bill misses the point of the moment, said Morgan Whirledge, a new representative on the Altadena City Council, who can convey concerns or recommendations to Los Angeles County leaders, but has no real power to govern or spending authority. He is a fire survivor whose home previously served a cesspool system.
“This project provides an opportunity to connect,” Whirledge said, noting the ongoing underground power lines by Southern California Edison and other extensive construction. “You don’t want to come and tear up the road twice.”
The county’s Department of Public Works said residents who are rebuilding, without major changes in the size or configuration of their home, can continue to use on-site septic systems, if they are in good condition. But any other reconstruction needs further testing and possible improvement or expansion.
Morgan Whirledge inspects the early stages of rebuilding at his Altadena property on May 1, 2026, including where his outdated cesspool system is still underground.
If residents are willing to gamble on an unfunded sewer extension project, reconstruction can be authorized “for the purpose of later connection, even if sewer installation has not yet been planned,” the Department of Public Works said in a statement.
Barger, who represents Altadena’s government, said he understands that this is a problem that “can delay the recovery if we don’t fix it properly.”
“I’m focused on finding a way forward that provides residents with clarity, avoids unnecessary costs, and ensures that we rebuild Altadena in a way that will be sustainable for decades to come — not just cobble together a temporary fix,” Barger said in a statement.
Some worry that 16 months after the fire, it’s too late.
Hanisee is still waiting for his permits, which, if approved, would include plans to connect to the county-controlled sewer line, which he hopes is very unlikely.
“There is this huge unknown debt for people who have roads that don’t have sewers,” said Hanisee. “We want to go home and not be forced to sell and leave because of all these problems that create obstacles to rebuilding.”
Because he doesn’t build identically, if he ends up needing to rely on his old septic tank, it will require additional testing and possibly an expansion or update, both of which can add additional costs to his rebuild. He is also worried that he will end up paying for the sewer lines.
What once sounded like sad things in their Altadena neighborhood — helping to maintain the road, running to the cesspool — “all these things … turned into nightmares,” Whirledge said. “This is a cumulative effect of these increased costs and complexities. That can be a huge blow at a time when you’re already really vulnerable.”
He and his family are moving from septic tank to septic tank to rebuild, while also building the possibility of a future sewer connection – a plan he realizes is costly for many fire survivors, especially if there is still a real possibility that residents will have to fund a new sewer line.
Removing his old cesspool and buying a new septic tank already cost about $10,000, he said, and installation and testing can triple that. His insurance does offer some reimbursement for code upgrades, but he said it won’t come close to the cost the family is facing.
“It’s a lot of money,” Whirledge said, “especially something you don’t want to think about.”
A worker pumps sewage out of a portable toilet on the property of Morgan Whirledge, who is in the first stages of rebuilding his Altadena property.
