North San Diego County fire agencies teamed up with Olivenhain Municipal Water District in early December for confined space training drills. The drills prepare firefighting professionals to respond to emergencies in facilities such as water or wastewater treatment plants and are required to maintain their confined space certification.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors is hosting a public hearing on December 15 at 5:30 p.m. to gather public input on new director division boundaries.
The hearing is the first of three scheduled hearings at which OMWD will accept input about communities that should be grouped together for the purpose of electing representatives to OMWD’s Board of Directors.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District has partnered with neighboring water districts—San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, and Carlsbad Municipal Water District—to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents this winter.
Rain barrels ordered by January 31, 2022 will be available for pick up at Solana Center for Environmental Innovation located at 137 North El Camino Real in Encinitas.
Fifty-gallon barrels are on sale for $97, with a final cost of $62 after a $35 rebate from water wholesaler Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Rebates on rain barrels and other water-saving measures are available at www.socalwatersmart.com.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors unanimously voted at its Nov. 17 meeting to refund $1.62 million to customers to reduce the impact of future water rate increases. The refund resulted from lawsuits filed by San Diego County Water Authority in 2010 and 2018, challenging the legality of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s water rates and charges and seeking payment for legal damages and interest.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors unanimously voted at its November 17 meeting to refund $1.62 million to customers to reduce the impact of future water rate increases. The refund resulted from lawsuits filed by San Diego County Water Authority in 2010 and 2018, challenging the legality of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s water rates and charges and seeking payment for legal damages and interest.
The El Camino Real Potable Water Pipeline Replacement and Green Bike Lane Striping Project has reached its final stage. After the Olivenhain Municipal Water District Board approved filing of a notice of completion for the pipeline portion of the project, the City of Encinitas will finish restoring the street and complete new bike lane striping.
The original pipelines were installed in 1961 and 1974 and fast approaching the end of their lifespan. OMWD replaced approximately 4,700 linear feet of existing 12-inch diameter potable water pipeline along North El Camino Real from Encinitas Boulevard to Garden View Road, and approximately 650 linear feet of existing 12-inch diameter pipeline between Via Molena and Mountain Vista Drive. Water service lines and fire hydrant laterals served by the existing pipelines were also replaced.
The pipeline replacement will reduce water loss and prevent emergency shutdowns due to leaks. This is vitally important for water conservation and to ensure water supply reliability for businesses and residents, more important than ever due to drought conditions in the region.
“Proactive maintenance is a big part of what we do,” said Olivenhain Municipal Water District Board President Larry Watt. “Replacing aging infrastructure before it breaks helps to avoid emergencies, which are more costly and more impactful to customers.”
Lowering a section of the new potable water pipe into a trench in El Camino Real. Night work helped minimize the inconvenience to nearby businesses and homes. Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
To mitigate the impact to the surrounding community, OMWD coordinated with the City of Encinitas on its green bike lane project along the same route. The District implemented the lane restriping portion of the project on behalf of the City of Encinitas concurrently with the pipeline replacement project as an efficiency measure.
As a result, the two agencies combined what would normally be two separate, unrelated infrastructure improvement projects into a single effort to improve operational efficiency and reduce the temporary inconvenience of disruptions to area residents and businesses.
The bike lane will provide traffic calming measures, including improvements to safety and mobility for bicyclists along North El Camino Real from Encinitas Boulevard to Leucadia Boulevard by restriping and narrowing travel lanes. In addition, green-colored striping will augment some areas on the bike lanes and new signage and pavement markings will be installed.
“It was very important to us from the outset of the project to mitigate its impacts to the community, while also keeping costs down,” said Watt. “To that end, the partnership with the City of Encinitas was critical. They coordinated closely with us every step of the way.”
At the start of the project, the City of Encinitas requested that work be done at night to further reduce traffic impacts. Capitalizing on the reduced traffic as a result of the statewide stay-at-home order, OMWD was able to shift construction to the daytime for a portion of the project. Working during the day is more efficient and safer than night work, and minimized noise impacts to the surrounding neighbors. However, as traffic returned to normal levels, the City shifted work hours back to overnight.
Dedicated green bike lanes such as this example have an expected December completion date. Photo: Courtesy City of Encinitas
The final work effort will include buffered bike lanes on the east and west, and fully restoring three lanes of traffic. Work is anticipated to occur through early December. Traffic controls will be in place during the day and at night with the most significant work occurring at night. Residents and businesses should anticipate lane closures and consider alternative transportation routes.
For questions specific to the City of Encinitas’ Active Transportation Enhancing Project, please email or call 760-943-2211.
(Editor’s note: The Olivenhain Municipal Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Encinitas, CA — Olivenhain Municipal Water District is beginning construction this week to replace aging water infrastructure near the intersection of Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard.
OMWD takes a proactive approach in repairing and replacing aging water infrastructure. These proactive measures help prevent disruptive and costly main breaks to ensure continued water service to customers. The pipelines that will be replaced are approaching the end of their lifespan. The pipelines were originally installed in 1961.
Encinitas, Calif. — At its meeting this evening, Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors approved budget cuts following confirmation of OMWD’s exceptionally strong financial profile. The board was notified that Fitch Ratings, a global rating agency that offers independent credit opinions, has reaffirmed OMWD’s “AAA” bond rating with a stable outlook, the highest possible rating assigned by Fitch. The board also approved a revised budget for Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022 that saves over $1 million versus the originally approved budget.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility was honored today by California Water Environment Association as its 2021 Plant of the Year (Small).
Presented during CWEA’s Virtual Conference and Expo, the award recognizes accomplishments with regard to regulatory compliance, innovative practices, employee development, cost-effectiveness, and other evidence of superior plant operations.
Encinitas, Calif. — Neal Meyers was sworn in this evening as Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s newest director, representing Division 5 of OMWD’s service area. The appointment of Mr. Meyers fills the seat vacated by the retirement of outgoing director Ed Sprague.
“We are excited to welcome an individual of Neal’s caliber to the Board of Directors,” stated OMWD Board President Larry Watt. “His experience with special district law and operations, as well as his expertise with risk management, will allow him to hit the ground running and continue OMWD’s tradition of responsive and transparent governance.”
