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An overhead view of construction progress on the East County Advanced Water Purification program Education Center. Photo: East County AWP Padre Dam

East County Advanced Water Program Summer Progress Report

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Significant work has been completed on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program (East County AWP) since construction began more than two years ago in June 2022. Multiple milestones have been achieved through the first half of 2024, with construction continuing at multiple East County locations through 2025.

The East County Advanced Water Purification Program is an important water project for East San Diego County. When complete, it will deliver a clean, reliable and local water source.

Construction reached a significant milestone in July, completing 58% of the purified water pipeline installation. This 10-mile pipeline will transport purified water from north of Santee Lakes to Lake Jennings.

Elements currently under construction in parts of Santee and Lakeside include:

  • Installing a 10-mile purified water pipeline
  • Constructing wastewater/residual pipelines and pump station upgrades
  • Building water treatment facilities, operations center, laboratory, and public education center

Work underway at Lake Jennings

Lake Jennings is expected to be restored to full capacity later this summer. Photo: East County AWP

Lake Jennings is expected to be restored to full capacity later this summer. Photo: East County AWP

Crews are working to connect the purified water pipeline to Lake Jennings on the north end of the lake in Half Moon Cove. In April 2024, Helix Water District temporarily lowered Lake Jennings by approximately 23 feet to make this work possible. Helix completed its work on the reservoir’s outlet tower and is refilling the lake.

The lake is expected to be restored to full capacity later this summer. Click here for additional lake updates. Minor work nearby will require occasional, short-term closures of the Flume Trail.

Purified water is expected to start flowing into Lake Jennings in 2026. The water will mix with local and imported water, followed by treatment at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant and then distributed to the community.

Treatment facilities taking shape

Roads have reopened at Lakes 3 and 4 at the Santee Lakes Recreational Preserve. Photo: East County AWP East County Advanced Water

Roads have reopened at Lakes 3 and 4 at the Santee Lakes Recreational Preserve. Photo: East County AWP

Construction of the treatment facilities north of Santee Lakes is progressing, with roughly 80% of the concrete (42,000 cubic yards) poured. Once complete, 52,400 cubic yards of concrete will be used—enough to fill 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The advanced water purification, water recycling and solids handling facilities are being built, as well as an operations center to house the operation controls, laboratory, and education center. The public will be invited to visit the interactive lobby and to tour the facilities once the program goes online.

Wastewater and residual pipelines currently under construction run parallel to each other and are each 3.5 miles long. They will connect the water recycling facility north of Santee Lakes to the pump station near the westbound onramp to Route 52.

An example of a trenchless construction method called horizontal directional drilling. Photo: East County AWP

The residuals pipeline has been successfully installed under the Carlton Oaks Golf Course and San Diego River using a trenchless construction method called horizontal directional drilling. This method is used instead of digging a conventional open trench, minimizing environmental impacts.

More than 100,000 pounds of pulling force was required for this operation. The installation of the wastewater pipeline running parallel, using the same method, is anticipated by early 2025.

Water from this project will be provided to customers in Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, Lakeside Water District service areas, and the northern portion of the Otay Water District.

Traffic affected in Santee and Lakeside construction zones

Construction has affected traffic in several areas.

In Santee, wastewater pipeline construction is underway on Fanita Parkway near Lake Canyon Road.  When traveling in the area, expect one-way traffic control with delays of up to five minutes. Flaggers are assisting drivers in navigating around the construction zone.

Elsewhere, purified water pipeline construction continues from Park Center Drive, heading west toward Fanita Parkway in Santee. Road paving is complete between Magnolia Avenue and Park Center Drive, and between Cambury Drive and Halberns Boulevard. All of this work has resulted in traffic control with lane closures.

Drivers should plan additional traveling time on Mapleview and Ashwood Streets. Work will continue in this area over the next few weeks. Photo: East County AWP East County Advanced Water

Drivers should plan additional traveling time on Mapleview and Ashwood Streets in Lakeside. Work will continue in this area over the next few weeks. Photo: East County AWP

In Lakeside, temporary traffic control with reduced lanes is also in place next to El Capitan High School. Drivers should plan additional traveling time on Mapleview and Ashwood Streets. Work will continue in this area over the next few weeks. On Riverside Drive, construction recently got underway near Rio Camino and is expected to last for the next couple of months.

Purified water pipeline installation along the Channel Road Bridge is complete. Crews will soon shift work locations to State Route 67 and on the west side of the freeway on Mapleview. Pipeline installation under State Route 67 will be achieved using another trenchless construction method called ‘jack and bore.’

To stay up-to-date with project schedules, community impacts, and work descriptions, check the East County Advanced Water Purification Program’s interactive map at www.eastcountyawp.com or visit @eastcountyawp on social media.

Tijuana Water Deliveries, Explained

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Over the last few weeks, several stories have come out about water deliveries being made to the city of Tijuana. Here’s some of the basics behind this unique international agreement.  

Whose water is it? Mexico’s. Water delivered through the Emergency Deliveries Agreement is a portion of the Colorado River supplies allotted to Mexico under the 1944 Treaty.  

Where does it come from? Under normal conditions, Tijuana’s supply of Colorado River is diverted from the Morelos Dam, about 1 mile downstream of the California and Baja California boundary, south of Yuma, Ariz. Water is transported west through the Alamo Canal to Mexicali, and then through the Tijuana Aqueduct to Tijuana, for a total of about 150 miles.  

Under emergency conditions, Mexico’s Colorado River supply to Tijuana is diverted at Lake Havasu and transported through Metropolitan’s 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct before being conveyed through MWD, Water Authority and Otay Water District distribution systems. 

Daytime papel picado framed view of the iconic landmark arch of downtown Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

When did deliveries start? The Agreement was signed in 1972, and several amendments (minutes) were signed since then that document the authorization of emergency deliveries to Mexico. Delivery volumes have varied from 0 to nearly 10,000 acre-feet per year; the maximum annual delivery volume, per the agreement, is 14,400 acre-feet.  

Emergency deliveries occurred throughout the 1970s and stopped from 1981-2002. Deliveries started up again from 2003-2012, with another hiatus from 2013- 2017. Most recently, Mexico has requested emergency deliveries every year from 2018 -2024, except for 2021. 

How many agencies are involved? A number of agencies from the federal, state, local and Mexico governments are involved. On the U.S. side, this includes the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Diego County Water Authority and Otay Water District. South of the border, the National Water Commission, Mexico’s International Boundary and Water Commission, State Public Utility Commission of Tijuana (CESPT) and other agencies are involved. 

What does the current agreement include? The current agreement, which expires in 2027, includes procedures and schedules for annual emergency delivery requests, capacity determination by the California Agencies, base cost of deliveries calculation and fund balance requirements.   

With each annual request by Mexico, the California Agencies must agree to deliver the requested delivery volumes based on available capacity within their respective systems. Additionally, funds must be provided by Mexico in advance of water deliveries.  

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Otay Water District to Fill Division One Vacancy Through Appointment Process

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Spring Valley, Calif. – The Otay Water District announced at its Aug. 7 board meeting that it will fill its division one board vacancy through an appointment process. The application deadline for candidates interested in filling the seat is Monday, August 26, 2024, by 5 p.m.

The vacancy occurred following the resignation, effective Aug. 2, of former board director Tim Smith, who represented division one. The board’s four remaining members, at its August meeting, unanimously voted to fill the vacancy through an appointment process, as outlined in Government Code § 1780.

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Summer 2023 Water Academy class visiting the Olivenhain Dam and Pump Station.

Application Period Now Open for the Fall 2024 Citizens Water Academy

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Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity for emerging leaders throughout San Diego County to join the Citizens Water Academy and get an up-close understanding of our most important resource.  

Over multiple sessions participants will learn firsthand about critical water issues affecting the region and go behind the scenes with water managers, planners, and engineers to gain a deeper understanding of the Water Authority’s life-sustaining mission. 

Water Academy participants at the base of Olivenhain Dam. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority.

Water Academy participants at the base of Olivenhain Dam. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority.

Since its launch in 2015, this award-winning program has equipped nearly 800 civically engaged leaders with the water knowledge they need to make a difference in their communities and careers.  

Whether you’re a staffer or a working professional, an elected official or business leader, the information and relationships you’ll gain from the Citizens Water Academy will be impactful. Finally, graduates will have access to a robust and growing alumni network from across the region. 

The application period runs from July 25 to August 28, with the class taking place in mid-October. Citizens Water Academy participants must attend all three sessions. Applications are available on the Water Authority website through this link. 

Session Guide: 

Session 1 October 16 – Wednesday lunch hour (via Zoom): Welcome and overview by Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham.   

Session 2 October 17 – Thursday evening dinner: Presentations and activities focused on planning for a water-resilient future.   

Session 3 October 19 – Saturday half day: Breakfast and lunch, and behind-the-scenes tours of the Water Authority’s Control Room, Emergency Operations Center, and Olivenhain Dam and Pump Station. 

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Cultivate and Protect: Free Permaculture Gardening and Wildfire Preparedness Workshop

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Encinitas, Calif.— Olivenhain Municipal Water District, in partnership with Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, invites the public to attend a free workshop on permaculture gardening and wildfire safety. This workshop will be held on August 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Elfin Forest Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty located at 8833 Harmony Grove Road in Escondido.

Josh Robinson of SD Sustainable will discuss methods to reduce outdoor water use through permaculture gardening design. Permaculture gardening mimics nature to garden organically, provides habitat for wildlife, and creates a low-maintenance, water-efficient garden. Participants will learn about designing ecologically functional gardens, and food forestry, and discover examples of San Diego ecosystem gardens.

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north sd water reuse logo

North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition Recommended for Over $6 Million in Federal Funding to Further Improve Local Water Supply Reliability

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Encinitas, Calif. — On June 13, the United States Bureau of Reclamation recommended to Congress that the North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition receive over $6 million in grant funding from the federal Title XVI program to develop recycled water infrastructure in San Diego’s North County.

“This federal investment to strengthen our region’s recycled water infrastructure is crucial to meet demand and reliability,” said Representative Scott Peters. “Multi-agency projects allow us to stretch public resources and help accelerate results that will benefit the entire region.”

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

OMWD Converts Another Encinitas Property to Recycled Water

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Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District began serving recycled water today to the new commercial building at 777 North El Camino Real in Encinitas. Irrigating the property with recycled instead of potable water will save more than 7,500 gallons of imported drinking water each year.
“Converting our commercial customers to recycled water for irrigation is of the utmost importance,” said OMWD Board Secretary Larry Watt. “Our region is dependent on the Colorado River for drinking water and available supplies on the river have been slowly declining for decades. Every customer we convert to recycled water makes us more drought resilient.”
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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Pipeline Construction to Begin on Rancho Santa Fe Road

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Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District is beginning construction to replace aging water infrastructure on Rancho Santa Fe Road on the border of Carlsbad and Encinitas.

An existing pipeline originally installed in 1961 on Rancho Santa Fe Road between Las Olas Court and Avenida La Posta is approaching the end of its lifespan. This project will replace 1,500 feet of the 12-inch drinking water pipeline.

“Replacing old water mains ensures the continued reliability of our services,” said OMWD Board President Christy Guerin. “Proactive maintenance projects like this are necessary to avoid emergency breaks that can waste millions of gallons of water and be very costly.”

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San Diego Region ‘Not Immune’ to Calgary Pipeline Failure

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As soon as the Water Authority’s Martin Coghill heard about a catastrophic pipeline failure in Calgary two weeks ago, he knew how distressing it could be.

“When they’re in a situation where they call us for help from over 1,600 miles away, that’s a bad, bad day,” Coghill said.

The Water Authority was quickly able to send the final pieces of the infrastructure puzzle to Calgary to speed the city’s repairs. But Coghill, the Water Authority’s asset management manager, knows that similar problems could quickly impact San Diego County.

“In our aqueduct system, there are 80 miles of pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe,” Coghill said. “That’s the same type of pipe that suffered catastrophic failure in Calgary.”

See how the Water Authority helped keep the water flowing in Calgary.

Pipeline failure potential in San Diego

The Water Authority experienced the same kind of problem in 1979, when pre-stressed pipes failed in the region for the first time, impacting the county’s water supply.

In response to that failure, the Water Authority spent the past 42 years relining 48 miles of pre-stressed pipe – or 60% of that type of pipe in the system – through a process called steel relining. That ongoing investment has significantly decreased the risk to the region’s water supply.

The catastrophic break in Canada led many across North America to recognize the unique space that water infrastructure plays in their daily life. As Kerry Black, a civil engineering professor at the University of Calgary said in a CBC interview, “when it breaks, it’s the first thing you’ll complain about but it’s the last thing you want to pay for.”

Across the United States, the potential for pipeline failure is an ongoing weakness, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. It gave the nation’s water utilities a C- grade in its most recent national infrastructure report card in 2021. “Unfortunately, the system is aging and underfunded. There is a water main break every two minutes and an estimated six billion gallons of treated water lost each day in the U.S., enough to fill over 9,000 swimming pools,” said ASCE.

Investing in critical infrastructure upgrades in San Diego County

The Calgary pipeline failure provided a reminder about the unique space water infrastructure plays in daily life. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

The Calgary pipeline failure provided a reminder about the unique space water infrastructure plays in daily life. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Coghill knows that even with all the advancements and investments in inspection and monitoring technologies, there are still gaps in the Water Authority’s ability to see problems coming. “Despite these technologies, we only have tools to actively monitor about two-thirds of the things that can go wrong with pre-stressed pipe,” Coghill said. “We’re not immune from a failure.”

For the Water Authority, protecting against a break in San Diego County happens on two parallel tracks and involves investing in critical infrastructure upgrades and testing.

“There are two roads we go down,” Coghill said. “One is a proactive approach in which every two years we re-evaluate what sections of the pre-stressed pipe are the next priorities based on risk and consequence of failure. That is put into the recommendation for the upcoming budget cycle for rehabilitation using steel liners. The other one is a more reactive approach, which I call the ‘imminent failure watch.’”

Modern tools track down early warning signs

That’s where the Water Authority’s installation of acoustic fiber optic cable allows engineers to hear a localized problem starting in real time, allowing the Water Authority to shut things down to fix the problem, and ideally with enough time to prevent a break.

This parallel track methodology has served the organization well since 2006—the last time a major failure of a prestressed pipe occurred—and in 2022, in response to data recorded by the acoustic monitoring system, identified the need for an urgent repair in the Bonsall area.

Coghill summarized the risks for our region. “Provided that we maintain a commitment to steel relining our prestressed pipe, and we maximize the use of available technologies, we are doing everything we possibly can to manage this type of pipe.”

Enjoy a Glass of Padre Dam Tap Water for National Hydration Day

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We’re just days away from National Hydration Day on Sunday, June 23, and Padre Dam Municipal Water District is encouraging its customers to celebrate by enjoying a glass of high-quality tap water.

National Hydration Day is on June 23 every year. It’s the kick-off to summer and a time when the weather starts to warm up, especially in East San Diego County. The nationally-recognized day is a reminder to stay hydrated to avoid heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses.

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