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Construction of the new Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir in North San Diego County was completed in June 2023.

Award-Winning Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir Project

The award-winning Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir enhances drinking water supply reliability and operational efficiency for the region. Construction was completed June 23 on the San Diego County Water Authority project in North San Diego County.

Work started in March 2021 with the demolition of an out-of-service steel tank.

Project work included construction of an underground isolation vault and flow control facility, in addition to a new 2.1 million-gallon water tank connected to the Valley Center Pipeline.

Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project-water infrastructure

The project included construction of the water tank, flow control facility, and valve vault; paving of the project site and access road; and installation of new security fencing. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Improved operational flexibility

Operational flexibility is increased at Hauck Mesa by balancing the flow of treated water between the agency’s First and Second Aqueducts and by helping to maintain water deliveries if power supplies are interrupted. The new storage reservoir enhances the Water Authority’s ability to provide reliable and efficient deliveries of treated water to member agencies.

The walls of the new tank are about 60 feet tall, stained a forest green color to blend in with the natural landscape, and made of prestressed, or wire wrapped, concrete.

“The prestressed technology will maintain the tank walls in permanent compression, allowing the tank to accommodate seismic events while remaining watertight,” said Water Authority Construction Manager Emma Ward-McNally.

The project reached a major milestone in April 2022 when crews poured the concrete roof of the new prestressed concrete water tank. The entire system, including the new tank and flow control facility, was put into service in May 2023.

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In April 2022, crews worked to pour the concrete roof of the new Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir in North San Diego County. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Award-winning Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project

The Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project has received two awards: The 2023 Honor Award from the American Public Works Association for Utilities in the $6 – $25 million category and was a joint winner of the 2023 Outstanding Water Project from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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Water Authority Construction Manager Emma Ward-McNally (seated left) receives APWA award for the Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir Project. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority/APWA

Strategic infrastructure improvements by the Water Authority and its member agencies are part of the regional effort to ensure continued delivery of water to support the region’s $268 billion economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents. As part of the asset management program, it is critical to actively replace and repair the Water Authority’s assets, which include pipes, valves, facilities, equipment, and other infrastructure.

Collaboration with Valley Center Municipal Water District

During construction, the Water Authority worked closely with the Valley Center community, Valley Center Municipal Water District, and nearby homeowners to minimize short-term construction impacts during the project.

The Water Authority operates and maintains a regional water delivery system capable of delivering 900 million gallons of water per day. Building and operating the large-scale infrastructure required to meet the region’s water needs now and in the future requires careful planning and technical expertise. The Water Authority uses a sophisticated approach to cost-effectively build, operate, maintain and secure its water facilities as an integrated system.

(Editor’s note: The Valley Center Municipal Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.) 

Water Authority Team Wins 2023 Skills Competition

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Operations and Maintenance Division team won the top prize at the annual ROADEO Skills Competition. The 2023 event was hosted by the San Diego Chapter of the Maintenance Superintendents Association and the American Public Works Association (APWA) in April at Wells Park in El Cajon.

The annual contest gives the region’s public works maintenance professionals an opportunity to put their daily job skills on the line against the best of their peers, both in individual events and in three-person teams.

The Water Authority Fleet and Facilities Maintenance Crews pose with their 2023 Roadeo trophies. Top Row(L to R): Matt Boteler, Luke Holbrook, Tyson Short, Frank Vargas, Bobby Bond, Bill Keyser, Mark Christman. Bottom Row: Tony Zepeda and Cole Curtis. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Team Wins 2023 Skills Competition

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Operations and Maintenance Division team won the top prize at the annual ROADEO Skills Competition. The 2023 event was hosted by the San Diego Chapter of the Maintenance Superintendents Association and the American Public Works Association (APWA) in April at Wells Park in El Cajon.

The annual contest gives the region’s public works maintenance professionals an opportunity to put their daily job skills on the line against the best of their peers, both in individual events and in three-person teams.

Bobby Bonds won the backhoe skills event at the 2023 Roadeo Competition. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Bobby Bonds won the backhoe skills event at the 2023 Roadeo Competition. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Teams compete for the 2023 MSA Trophy in four events: backhoe skills, mini-excavator skills, sign assembly, and a wheelbarrow obstacle endurance race. These are the same skills used by public works employees daily. The team having the best overall combined time wins the MSA perpetual trophy, along with serious bragging rights.

Testing skills and experience

The team of Tony Zepeda, Frank Vargas, and Bobby Bond pose with their awards at the Water Authority's Escondido facility. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

The team of Tony Zepeda, Frank Vargas, and Bobby Bond pose with their awards at the Water Authority’s Escondido facility. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Director of Operations and Maintenance Eva Plajzer introduced the winning team members at the Water Authority Board of Director’s Engineering and Operations Committee meeting on April 27. Senior Maintenance Technician Bobby Bond, Maintenance Worker II Frank Vargas, and Maintenance Technician Tony Zepeda competed for the Water Authority. System Maintenance Supervisor Luke Holbrook and Operations and Maintenance Manager Al Garza supported the team’s preparation and efforts.

As the overall winning team, the Water Authority trio wins a MSA Trophy for display which, Plajzer joked, “is larger than the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup.”

Roadeo team member Bobby Bond poses with the impressive winners' trophy. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority team wins

ROADEO team member Bobby Bond poses with the impressive winners’ trophy. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Bond, who also won first place in the backhoe competition, explained to board members all the events represent similar skills competitors perform in their jobs performing critical water and wastewater systems maintenance and repairs.

For the backhoe skills test, the operator must use the backhoe to pick up a basketball off a cone, or a ring on a chain, then run through an obstacle course against the clock to successfully place the basketball inside a barrel. The skills needed to pick up small items are the same skills preventing workers from breaking pipes or fixtures.

“They come through every time”

Valley Center Municipal Water District General Manager Gary Arant, who represents his agency on the Water Authority Board, noted the serious purpose of the competition.

“It reflects the skills that we have within the organization,” said Arant during the committee meeting. “Those skills come with years of service and perfecting what they do, training the newer people. We as member agencies benefit, because when we have a shutdown, and we’re waiting for that system to come back up, we count on those skills. They come through every time.”

Friendly competition with serious purpose

Frank Vargas tests his skills in the sign assembly competition. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority tea wins

Frank Vargas tests his skills in the sign assembly competition. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

While participants enjoy the event and the friendly contest among colleagues, the competition categories test the same skills the participants use on the job while maintaining water and wastewater systems, streets, and other vital infrastructure residents and businesses alike rely on every day.

Bonds is a previous winner of multiple individual categories since 2017 and the 2018 Master Operator winner. Zepeda is also a previous winner in the Wheelbarrow Skills Competition. Vargas was a first-time competitor.

Winners in the equipment competitions will compete at the August 2023 National APWA ROADEO in San Diego.

National Public Works Week is May 21-27

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(Editor’s note: The Valley Center Municipal Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.) 

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

OMWD Recognized for Construction Projects to Ensure Water Reliability

Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Indian Head Canyon Pipeline Restoration Project and El Camino Real Potable Water Pipeline Replacement Project were both recognized today as 2022 Projects of the Year by American Public Works Association’s San Diego and Imperial County Chapter at its awards event in Mission Valley.

“OMWD takes great pride in providing uninterrupted water service to our customers,” said OMWD Board President Larry Watt. “Replacing and repairing infrastructure before it fails helps to avoid emergency repairs, which is a more cost-effective and less impactful approach.”

Gary Bousquet Named Director of Engineering for Water Authority

Gary Bousquet, a 30-year civil engineering professional, has been appointed Director of Engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority as the agency launches the development of a major energy storage project that promises substantial long-term benefits for the region. Bousquet fills the position vacated by the retirement of Jerry Reed, whose 26-year career with the Water Authority included the past six years as Engineering Department director.

With Bousquet’s promotion, Engineering Manager Neena Kuzmich was promoted to Deputy Director of Engineering. Kuzmich is a professional civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience, including the past eight years leading complex engineering projects at the Water Authority.

Gary Bousquet-Director of Engineering-Water Authority

Gary Bousquet Named Director of Engineering for Water Authority

Gary Bousquet, a 30-year civil engineering professional, has been appointed Director of Engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority as the agency launches the development of a major energy storage project that promises substantial long-term benefits for the region. Bousquet fills the position vacated by the retirement of Jerry Reed, whose 26-year career with the Water Authority included the past six years as Engineering Department director.

With Bousquet’s promotion, Engineering Manager Neena Kuzmich was promoted to Deputy Director of Engineering. Kuzmich is a professional civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience, including the past eight years leading complex engineering projects at the Water Authority.

The Water Authority is a regional wholesale water agency that provides about 80% of the water used in San Diego County, sustaining a $253 billion economy and quality of life for 3.3 million residents.

Gary Bousquet managed major Capital Improvement Program projects

Bousquet joined the Water Authority in 1999 after working in the private sector designing and performing construction management of water and wastewater treatment projects. During the past 22 years at the Water Authority, Bousquet managed design and construction of Capital Improvement Program projects including the San Vicente Tunnel, San Vicente Pump Station, and the Lake Hodges Hydroelectric Facility. For the past several years, he served as Deputy Director of Engineering, leading the agency’s CIP Design and Energy Projects Group, Engineering Administration Services Group, and the Water Authority’s Innovation Program. Bousquet graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Northeastern University and is a registered civil engineer in California.

“Jerry Reed’s hard work and dedicated service has made a profound impact on the San Diego region, which benefits every day from the projects that he helped develop and lead over the past three decades,” said Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. “Thankfully, the Engineering Department will remain in good hands. Gary Bousquet’s dedication to innovation and excellence will continue to enhance the San Diego region’s natural resources for decades to come.”

The Water Authority’s engineering department is responsible for the design and construction of regional water facilities in the Capital Improvement and Asset Management Programs; overseeing energy related projects; managing real-estate interests; patrolling and managing 168 miles of right-of-way property; and providing survey services.

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Gary Bousquet has been appointed Director of Engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority and, with Bousquet’s promotion, Engineering Manager Neena Kuzmich was promoted to Deputy Director of Engineering for the Water Authority. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Renewable energy project: San Vicente Energy Storage Facility

For the past several years, Bousquet and Kuzmich have led the Water Authority’s efforts to develop a major renewable energy project proposed jointly with the City of San Diego. The San Vicente Energy Storage Facility received $18 million in the state budget signed in July by Gov. Gavin Newsom, enough to advance the project through initial design, environmental reviews, and the federal licensing process.

Energy Storage Process-San Vicente-Pumped Hydro-Energy

The San Diego County Water Authority and the City of San Diego are partners in developing the San Vicente Energy Storage Facility. The pumped storage energy project at San Vicente Reservoir could store 4,000 megawatt-hours per day of energy, or 500 megawatts of capacity for eight hours.

The San Vicente energy project is one of the most promising pumped energy storage solutions in California and it would be a major asset to help avoid rolling blackouts through on-demand energy production while helping to meet state climate goals. It also could mitigate costs for water ratepayers across the San Diego region by generating additional revenue to help offset the cost of water purchases, storage, and treatment. The City and the Water Authority are developing the project together, just like they did to raise the height of the city-owned San Vicente Dam 117 feet in the 2010s. More information on the project: www.sdcwa.org/projects/san-vicente-pumping-facilities/.

The department and agency have won several awards in recent years, including the world’s top civil engineering honor for its Emergency and Carryover Storage Project in 2017 from the American Society of Civil Engineers. More recently, the agency received four awards from the American Public Works Association and American Society of Civil Engineers for construction projects that exemplified outstanding skill, dedication, and collaboration. The awards include:

  • APWA Project of the Year: Northern First Aqueduct Structures and Lining Rehabilitation
  • APWA Honor Award: Vallecitos 11/Vista Irrigation 12 Flow Control Facility
  • APWA Honor Award: San Diego 28 Flow Control Facility
  • ASCE Award of Excellence: Pipeline 5 Emergency Repair

Water Authority Wins Four Awards for Outstanding Projects

The American Public Works Association and American Society of Civil Engineers recently presented the San Diego County Water Authority with four awards for construction projects that exemplified outstanding skill, dedication and collaboration from staff in many departments. All of the projects were underway or completed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and project teams navigated shutdowns, adapted to health and safety restrictions, and overcame many other uncertainties – in addition to typical challenges encountered during construction projects.

Major Relining Project Honored by the American Public Works Association

The San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter of the American Public Works Association recently recognized a San Diego County Water Authority pipeline relining project for its excellence as a public works project. The award commends the successful partnership between Water Authority staff, the contractor and local agencies working together to complete this critical repair to maintain the reliability of the regional water supply.

The local chapter of the American Public Works Association honored the Pipeline 5 relining project for the successful collaboration between the Water Authority, contractor, local agencies and nearby communities. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Major Relining Project Honored by the American Public Works Association

The San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter of the American Public Works Association recently recognized a San Diego County Water Authority pipeline relining project for its excellence as a public works project. The award commends the successful partnership between Water Authority staff, the contractor and local agencies working together to complete this critical repair to maintain the reliability of the regional water supply.

Relining project covers 12,300 feet

Pipeline 5 was relined from the point of delivery with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to Sage Road in the Fallbrook and Rainbow communities in north San Diego County. The $24.7 million project was completed in July 2019 and relined approximately 12,300 feet of Pipeline 5, a 96-inch large-diameter regional pipeline.

30-year pipeline relining program rehabilitates aging pipes

Relining is a cost-effective method to repair pipelines and extend their service life with less impacts to the community and environment than if a traditional pipe replacement is performed. The relining process avoids digging up miles of pipeline, which would take significantly more time and resources, as well as impact associated streets and driveways for a long period of time.

“The Water Authority’s asset management program used an acoustic fiber monitoring system to help perform evaluations of the pipeline and prioritize this portion for rehabilitation,” said Jerry Reed, director of engineering at the Water Authority. “Our staff collaborated with stakeholders in Fallbrook, San Marcos and Rainbow, including staff at our member agencies and nearby residents to ensure project success.”

The project work areas were surrounded by residential homes and farms, heavily traveled public streets and a local retirement community.

Close coordination with multiple agencies ensured there were no impacts to water deliveries. Open communications with local residents regarding project schedule ensured no incidents occurred with local traffic.

Proactive asset management program rehabilitates crucial water infrastructure

The relining project was part of the Water Authority’s proactive and innovative asset management program to rehabilitate and reline pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe within the Water Authority’s conveyance system to ensure continued supply reliability.

The local APWA chapter chose the project based on criteria that included superb planning, efficient design and construction management techniques to complete the project on schedule, within a cost-effective budget and adherence to regulatory requirements. It was also judged on the degree it enhanced a public service or facility, the quality of community relations or actions to minimize public impacts, safety precautions taken to protect lives and property, environmental impact mitigation measures and other accomplishments under adverse conditions.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Recycled Water Expansion Project is Project of the Year

Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Recycled Water Pipeline Extension 153A was recognized September 10 as a 2020 Project of the Year by the San Diego and Imperial County Chapter of the American Public Works Association at its virtual awards event. The pipeline extension connected the Surf Cup Sports youth soccer fields in San Diego to OMWD’s recycled water distribution system. By allowing Surf Cup to convert the irrigation of 55 acres of grass fields to recycled water, OMWD has reduced potable water demands for irrigation by up to 100 million gallons per year.