Tag Archive for: Infrastructure

Urban Water Management Plan-Water Authority-Primary photo-Colorado River Aqueduct

Value of Water, Explained

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For more than 80 years, the Water Authority and its 22 member agencies have worked together to deliver safe and reliable water to our community. Thanks to our coordinated efforts and investments, the 3 million people who call San Diego County home have the water they need for generations to come.

Where does San Diego’s Water Come From?

San Diego County has three main sources of water: The Colorado River (61%), local supplies (33%) and the State Water Project (6%). Together these three categories provide a diversified water supply to ensure we’ve got abundant options to keep the water flowing.

Local supplies – Seawater desalination, recycled water, water purification, and brackish groundwater, are sources of local water supplies in the San Diego region. Local water agencies have worked to maintain and create these supply sources, with support from the Water Authority. The Water Authority also invested in the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Plant, brought online in 2015.

Colorado River – Most of the region’s water from the Colorado River is generated through increased conservation measures on farms and canals in the Imperial Valley.

State Water Project – The Bay-Delta is the hub of the State Water Project, a water storage and delivery system that is owned by the State of California and operated by the California Department of Water Resources. The Water Authority purchases State Water Project supplies through the Metropolitan Water District.

The Colorado River Basin provides essential water supplies to approximately 40 million people and 30 Tribal Nations, nearly 5.5 million acres of agricultural lands, and habitat for ecological resources across parts of several Western states (including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and Mexico.

How far does water travel to reach San Diego?

Water can travel up to a thousand miles before coming out of your tap. Snow and rain falls in the Rocky Mountains and travels to the region through the Colorado River. For the State Water Project, rain falls in northern California over 500 miles from San Diego and travels to the region through water infrastructure. In addition, the region has a growing array of local water supplies, including desalinated seawater and recycled water.

What does San Diego’s water infrastructure look like?

The Water Authority takes ownership of pipelines just south of the Riverside-San Diego county borderline and maintains more than 300 miles of pipelines in San Diego County that transport water throughout the region. Local water agencies operate thousands of miles of smaller pipelines that deliver water to homes and businesses.

Karla Sanchez-Engineers Week-Senior Engineering Technician

Water Authority Senior Engineering Technician Karla Sanchez. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

How many facilities does the Water Authority operate to keep our system running?

With 1,600 structures and over 100 flow control facilities, the Water Authority’s countywide infrastructure is vital to provide San Diego with a safe and reliable source of water.

What is leading to rate increases?

Water rates are rising across the state for a variety of reasons, including inflation that is driving up the cost of items like electricity, steel and chemicals needed for water delivery and treatment.

The Water Authority and its member agencies are not immune from those impacts. In fact, San Diego County’s strategic investments in supply reliability, coupled with the work to maintain the aqueduct system, means that residents and businesses will pay more for water in future years.

The good news is that even during long dry spells, the Water Authority can meet the regional demand for water that sustains our economy and quality of life.

 

What else is the Water Authority doing to help the region understand its role?

The world of water is a complex one that needs color and context. That’s why, over the past few months, the Water Authority has developed a bilingual (English/Spanish) outreach strategy to tell residents across the region who we are and what we do. This program delivers targeted messaging across multiple channels, focusing on the value of water, infrastructure investments, climate adaptation and the people who make the water systems work. We hope that this effort will provide a deeper appreciation of the Water Authority and a better understanding of everything we do.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

OMWD Proactively Completes Replacement of Drinking Water Pipeline on Rancho Santa Fe Road

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Encinitas, Calif. —Olivenhain Municipal Water District has completed the construction of a drinking water pipeline on Rancho Santa Fe Road on the border of Encinitas and Carlsbad. The project replaced an existing pipeline that was originally installed in 1961 and was reaching the end of its lifespan.

OMWD continuously assesses the condition of its infrastructure, and replaces it proactively before failure to avoid major leaks and damage to roadways.

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PODCAST: How Aging Water Systems are Pushing Sewage into U.S. Homes

/in , /by /New York Public Radio

Walter Byrd remembers the first time sewage came bubbling out of his toilet like it was yesterday.

“It was just pumping up through there,” Byrd says. “One of the bathrooms was so full of waste, at least 4 inches high in there. It smelled just like a hog pen.”

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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.

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.”

Infrastructure Experts Discuss LA’s Preparations for Olympics, World Cup

/in , /by /ENR Californiaby Greg Aragon

Construction experts and politicians gathered on May 17 at historic Union Station in Los Angeles to discuss the challenges of delivering major infrastructure projects in Southern California and the Western U.S. Led by United for Infrastructure (UFI), the event coincided with the end of Infrastructure Week 2024 and featured panels covering topics such as transportation and water projects, future energy needs and climate issues.

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Rincon del Diablo Water District Launches Solar Power Generating Project

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Rhea Caoile

The Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District launched its first solar power generating project this week, it announced Thursday.

The project generates 40 kilowatts of solar power at the district’s Rockhoff pump station, which supplies water to 800 customers, Rincon Water said.

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$123 Million Water Pipeline Project Near SeaWorld To Begin This Summer

/in , /by /inewssourceby Crystal Niebla

Expect upcoming road closures and construction near SeaWorld — a $123 million project to update a water transmission system near the theme park and through Mission Valley begins this summer.

About 10 miles of water mains will be constructed between Interstate 805 and Sea World Drive, mainly on Friars Road, according to a city presentation. The city’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee — made up of four city councilmembers — last week unanimously voted to move forward with hiring OHLA USA Inc. to begin construction.

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New Wildfire Fighting Tool Unveiled in North County

/in , , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Zara Barker

A new water tank to help fight fires from the air was unveiled in San Marcos Tuesday.

Helicopters with capabilities to drop water onto fires aerially are one of the most crucial firefighting tools. The New HeloPod can be filled with 5,000 gallons of water in under three minutes.

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Damage Found Inside Glen Canyon Dam Increases Water Risks On The Colorado River

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Federal officials have discovered damage inside Glen Canyon Dam that could force limits on how much Colorado River water is released at low reservoir levels, raising risks the Southwest could face shortages that were previously unforeseen.

The damage was recently detected in four 8-foot-wide steel tubes — called the river outlet works — that allow water to pass through the dam in northern Arizona when Lake Powell reaches low levels. Dam managers spotted deterioration in the tubes after conducting an exercise last year that sent large flows from the dam into the Grand Canyon.

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