The San Diego County Water Authority wants county voters to weigh in on whether the Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts can detach and join an agency serving Riverside County.
The Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District, which together serve around 50,000 customers in North County, are seeking to detach in hopes of paying less for water for their largely rural communities.
The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors last week authorized actions to seek to ensure all San Diego County voters are heard on plans by the Rainbow and Fallbrook water agencies to leave the regional water wholesaler and instead join a Riverside County water agency.
The Board of Directors approved a resolution to ask the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission – known as San Diego LAFCO – to require approval by voters across the Water Authority’s service area of any proposed “detachment” by the Rainbow Municipal Water District and the Fallbrook Public Utility District from the Water Authority. Detachment from the Water Authority has potential impacts for water agencies, fire districts and water ratepayers across San Diego County.
Pipeline 4 – one of the San Diego region’s major water pipelines – is back in regular service after a leak was repaired, a testament to the San Diego County Water Authority’s proactive asset management program.
The pipeline resumed normal operations November 10 after nearly two months of modified operation. The leaky section was near Camino Del Rey in Bonsall, in an area with no adjacent homes or businesses.
“The shutdown and repair work went smoothly, and we could not have done it without the support and coordination from Water Authority staff, our contractors and member agencies, particularly, Fallbrook PUD, Rainbow MWD, Valley Center MWD, and Vallecitos Water District,” said Neena Kuzmich, Water Authority engineering manager.
Water Authority crews detected a leak in the 90-inch diameter Pipeline 4 in the Moosa Canyon area in August.
Crews installed bulkheads in the pipeline to isolate the leak area for repairs. The bulkheads allowed the pipeline to continue treated water deliveries throughout the county in a modified fashion and restored full service to retail water agencies.
The Water Authority installed a carbon fiber liner to give the pipeline several more years of service, while a longer-term solution is developed and implemented.
Once the repairs were completed, a second shutdown was needed to remove the bulkheads and return the pipeline to full, normal operations.
Pipeline 4 is one of five major pipelines operated by the Water Authority.
Crews installed a carbon fiber liner to repair a leak in Pipeline 4. The liner will give the pipeline several more years of service while a longer-term solution is developed. Photo: Water Authority
By relining the pipes and conducting timely repairs with the latest technology, the Water Authority has avoided major pipeline failures for more than decade.
Extending the life and reliability of major pipelines is one facet of the agency’s proactive asset management program. Real-time monitoring and other pipeline assessment tools help the Water Authority avoid pipeline failures by identifying potential problems in advance.
As part of its proactive approach, the Water Authority continually assesses and rehabilitates pipelines serving the San Diego region. The agency operates 310 miles of large-diameter pipelines, along with 1,600 aqueduct-related structures, and approximately 100 metering/flow-control facilities.
Approximately 82 miles of the pipelines are pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes. These types of pipes were installed between the early 1960s and late 1980s and have experienced premature failures and shown areas of degradation.
In the past few years, the Water Authority has continued to extend the service life of pipelines with relining projects, including Pipeline 3 between Lake Murray and Sweetwater Reservoir, and Pipeline 5, in the Fallbrook area.
The potential reorganization in which the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District would detach from the San Diego County Water Authority and become part of the Eastern Municipal Water District will require approval from San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission, but Riverside County’s LAFCO has agreed to let the process be conducted entirely by San Diego County’s LAFCO.
A recently discovered leak in a section of a pipeline in North County will be repaired in coming months while Pipeline 4 returns to service.
Crews have installed bulkheads in the pipeline to isolate a portion of Pipeline 4 for repairs. This will allow the pipeline to continue treated water deliveries throughout the county in a modified fashion starting the week of Sept. 16 and restores full service to retail water agencies. With the leaky section isolated, crews will make necessary repairs.
Four Water Authority member agencies – Fallbrook PUD, Rainbow MWD, Valley Center MWD, and Vallecitos Water District – have taken steps to manage water supplies while the pipeline was shut down to install the bulkheads.
In August, Water Authority crews detected a leak in the 90-inch diameter Pipeline 4, one of five major pipelines the agency operates. The leaky section is near Camino Del Rey in Bonsall, in an area with no adjacent homes or business.
To find the cause of the leak, the Water Authority dewatered the pipe starting Sept. 9. Preliminary results of the investigation are that a weld seam, connecting a steel pipe section to a pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe, separated in an area of very high water pressure.
The Water Authority is preparing to install a carbon fiber liner to give the pipeline several more years of service while a longer-term solution is developed and deployed.
After repairs are completed, a second 10-day shutdown of Pipeline 4 will be needed to remove the bulkheads and return the pipeline to full, normal operations.
As part of its proactive approach to asset management, the Water Authority continually assesses and rehabilitates pipelines serving the San Diego region. The agency operates 310 miles of large-diameter pipelines, along with 1,600 aqueduct-related structures, and approximately 100 metering/flow-control facilities.
Approximately 82 miles of the pipelines are pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes. These types of pipes were installed between the early 1960s and late 1980s, and have experienced premature failures and shown areas of degradation.
By relining the pipes or conducting timely repairs with the latest technology, the Water Authority has avoided major pipeline failures for more than decade.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
